


A Waterbending Quirk

by dragonfire217



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bending (Avatar), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Fish out of Water, Friendship, Manga & Anime, Quirks (My Hero Academia), Secrets, Teen Romance, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 152,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonfire217/pseuds/dragonfire217
Summary: A waterbender in a strange land. Katara had heard those words before, but nothing could prepare her for what she got herself into.(story on fanfiction as well)
Comments: 80
Kudos: 198





	1. Spirits and Fish?

Come on, Aang! We can’t let them get away after what they did!”

Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they face Zuko for what they did!”

Aang and Katara sprinted through the forest after the large group of firebenders trying to escape. At least three dozen men were attempting to flee from the incoming avatar and waterbender hot on their trail. It had only been two days since the defeat of Ozai, and many of the fire nation forces refused to surrender underneath the new rule. Droves inside the earth kingdom went on sprees of destruction in retaliation to the news of their leaders demise.

The leader of this group of firebenders turned and faced his pursuers, all of his men stopping as well. “This is the end for you, avatar!”

Both Aang and Katara stopped and prepared themselves for a fight. Katara opened the canteen on her side and bended out a large water whip over her shoulders. “You will pay for what you did. That village was filled with innocent people and you burned their homes down!”

“Those peasants don’t deserve to live in the world of the phoenix king! All for Fire lord Ozai!”

“Ozai is done for, I defeated him myself.” Aang stepped forward and readied his glider staff. “Come on, give up already!”

“He is still the true firelord, not that traitorous prince of his!” The leader and his men prepared their own fire and stepped forward. “That false lord will never be our ruler. Attack!”

All the soldiers began shooting fire balls towards the two. Aang slammed his hands into the ground and created a large stone wall blocking all of them. “Katara, now!”

“Right!” Bracing her legs, Katara felt her body launched up from the rising dirt beneath her and fly up above the wall. She used her water whip and lashed out to grab several of the soldiers and fling them out of the way into several nearby trees. With her free arm she shot more water out and swung along the hanging branches to get behind the group of firebenders. “You’ll be sorry for ruining those homes!”  
  


Some of the firebenders turned to face the young water tribe girl. “You think you can take us all on with that little bit of water? You don’t frighten us, little girl!”

“You should be frightened…” She smirked as her hands began squeezing the air in front of her and crushing the trees around her. Their bark began to splinter as the water was drained out from them.

“What the…” One of them exclaimed in shock. “what is she doing!? She’s just a water bender!”

“No…” another muttered as he watched the water gathered around the girl. “She removed the water from inside the trees. She can create more than what she has.”

“Exactly.” Katara smiled as the massive water ball above her shot out multiple arms and grabbed three more of the soldiers. She lifted them back and threw them behind her, instantly freezing their bodies to the trees as she went back to facing the others.

“Damn it! What kind of a bender is she!?” one of the soldiers frozen yelled out.

“She can use not just normal water, but the water in the vegetation…” Another one said as he watched their pursuers continue to pick off the other members of their group. “She has an endless supply of water at her disposal.”

Growling, the other two soldiers began using their own bending to melt their ice prisons, steam rising from the dissipating ice. “How are we supposed to fight them if they have water everywhere around them? It’s as if we are fighting on the ocean then!”

Once free, the first officer huffed as he shook off the water from his armor. He looked around to the massive trees all around them and saw there was no end to this girls bending. But then his mind thought back to the firelord’s plan for Sozin’s comet, and a sinister grin spread across his face. “If that is the case, then we should destroy the fuel for her bending.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we torch this damn forest and burn everything here to the ground, the avatar and his little girlfriend included.”

The other two watched their comrade light the fire in his hands, both of smiling as well. “You’re right. Let’s torch this place!”

The three soldiers all ran in separate directions, igniting every tree and shrub they passed. They began shooting fire off into the canopies, leaves igniting like paper and instantly rising up into the sky. After several more ignitions the fire began to spread on its own as it grew larger and larger. They laughed in unison as they looked up to see their work beginning to grow outward, soon the blaze now engulfing the entire area around them.

“Now let’s see you bend this, girl.”

The bright light behind her forced Katara to turn, her eyes widening in shock to the massive inferno behind her. “Oh no! Aang, they set the forest on fire!”

Aang looked up to her call, his eyes filled with anger as he listened to the fire benders cheer on to their work. “How could you do this!? The forest has nothing to do with your war!”

“Everything in this world is for the fire nation to take! You will regret standing in the way of the phoenix king!” their captain cheered on as the other men rallied behind him.

Grinding his teeth, Aang spun his staff around and launched an airblast at the soldiers knocking a large number of them down, but the gust of wind hit the burning trees and increased the flames size. “Shoot, I can’t airbend with the fire everywhere!”

Looking up to the trees, Katara knew she had to do something. “Aang, you take care of the fire benders. I’ll deal with the fires.”

“Got it. I’ll help as soon as I can!” Aang went back to the group and redirected the fires they shot at him with his own bending.

Running towards the inferno, Katara winced from the wave of heat coming from it. She frowned as she looked to the diminishing water over her arms. “I don’t have near enough to stop this. Why couldn’t there be a river nearby?” She grunted and looked to the nearby trees not burning. “Don’t have much of a choice.”

Waving her hands out and clenching her fists, she ripped out the water from several trees at once causing them all to dry and splinter. The growing water ball over her burst outward, dousing a large number of engulfed trees in her area. She ran forward and repeated the process to the next set of burning stumps, the loud hiss of water against flames overtaking the air. After doing this twice the water she had diminished too much to work anymore. She grimaced and ran up to the trunks of other untouched trees. “Sorry, but I need to do this.” she whispered to the tree as she ripped the water out it as well.

Katara continued this act over and over, extinguishing fire and destroying the nearby greenery to gather more water. She never truly enjoyed ripping plants apart for water, but she knew if she didn’t do this the fire would destroy everything else. Her eyes then met the group of fire benders causing the blaze in front of her, fueling the anger in her body. “There you are. Get back here now!”

The three soldiers turned and grinned as she ran their way. “You want to get burned? Then come on over!”

The earth beneath all of their feet began to violently shake, their feet struggling to keep balance. “Woah! What the hell is that!?” one of them yelled out.

Katara herself began stumbling back and forth from the sudden tremor and caught herself on a nearby tree. “What the… is Toph here?”

The ground between them suddenly fractured outward, a massive glowing creature bursting up from beneath. The four benders watched in terror as the great creature emerged, it’s green fur shimmering and giant clawed paws crashing into the dirt beneath it. It’s bear like head bared fangs as it raised thirty feet up, turning towards the fire benders.

“How dare you destroy my forest, you heathens!” a deep voice burst out from the creatures throat.

“AHH! What the hell is that thing!?” one of them screamed out while backing up.

The other group of benders turned around in shock at the monstrous creature that toward over the treeline. Many of them began backpeddling in fear to what it was, but Aang had a large smile across his face to what he saw. “It’s the forest spirit that lives here. You all really messed up now.” he grinned knowing full well what an enraged spirit would do.

The large bear stepped forward towards the three of them, it’s great feet shattering the ground. “For years this forest has suffered from the acts of you fire benders. So many times I restored it’s trees. But now you burn down what I have replaced!”

“No, w-we are sorry! Please!” one of them cried out as its giant paw rose up. “Wait!”

BOOOSH!

The three soldiers were smacked across the ground and crashed into the large tree bases to their right. They dropped down in agony from the pain running through their bodies, even their armor had cracked from the intense force of the spirits paw.

Katara smiled and looked up to see the bear turn her direction. “Thank you great spirit. The fire nation came through and did this to…” Her smile vanished as the spirit raise it’s paw once again. “… wait, what are you doing!?” The giant paw came crashing down towards her in an instant. Her own reaction speed barely let her escape as she jumped to the side before the claws shattered the ground where she was standing.

Aang felt terror run through his body as the girl he loved was nearly killed. “Katara!” he bolted off towards her, not caring about the fleeing soldiers behind him anymore. “Stop! Don’t hurt her!”

Katara crawled off the ground and backed away from the incoming beast. “Stop! What are you doing? The fire nation is the one who burned-

“The fire nation isn’t the only one destroying my forest. You were also responsible for this destruction!”

Aang jumped in between Katara and the enraged spirit to try and stop them. “Please listen to me spirit. I’m the avatar, and we were here to stop the fire nation.”  
  


“I know who you are, boy. And you are fool if you do not punish this girl as well as the fire benders.”

“Katara was stopping the fires. How can you blame her!?”

“They burned them, but they can still grow back. She herself was killing them with your bending too!”

Katara’s mouth dropped open as her eyes went over to the many trees she had drained for her water. Their shriveled trunks could barely stand up, shattered in many places and for certain never growing back. “I-I had to use their water. If I didn’t the fire would spread further!”

“So one good deed makes up for a bad one? All you wretched creatures say that whenever you wreck the land!”

Aang stomped his foot in anger to the spirit. “The fire nation is to blame! They came through and burned down the nearby village and-

“That village has been destroying my trees for years. All you humans are the same to me! Destroy and cull! None of you care for my forest! And I won’t stand for it any longer!”

The furious bear reared up and roared at the two before bringing it’s paws down. Both of the benders jumped out of the way just as the claws ripped into where they stood. Katara launched her water up into the bears face, but that only seemed to enrage it even more. “You are no avatar to me!” It bellowed out and rushed towards Aang.

Realizing he didn’t have a choice, Aang stomped the ground and punched forward. A Large column of earth burst forward and collided with the bears chest. To his shock however the beast was breaking through the attack like nothing. “His anger is making him stronger!” He yelled out before ducking out of the way. He spun around and was met with another swinging paw striking him.

“Aang!” Katara screamed out as she watched him flying backwards through the trees. She was about to chase after him before a massive shadow suddenly came over her. Her blood ran cold as she turned around to see the great beast above her. “Please spirit, I didn’t mean to ruin your trees. I was doing what I thought was right.”  
  


“It is always right for humans and I am tired of hearing that! No one will hurt my forest any longer!”

Aang rubbed his head while standing up from the hit, his eyes suddenly seeing Katara about to be hurt. His eyes and tattoos began glowing as his anger grew. “Get away from her!”

Aang launched forward in his avatar state and formed a large air bubble around his body. The forest spirit glared up and collided with the boy stopping him in is rush. The entire forest shook from the two forces colliding into each other, forcing Katara back as they tried overcoming the other. Her eyes then noticed the spirits mouth opening up and a bright glow beginning to form. “Aang, look out! It’s about to do something!”

The young avatar couldn’t hear her inside the wind storm around him, before suddenly feeling his body being shoved out of the way and to the ground. He turned back and his eyes lost their glow from the shock of seeing the gathering energy inside the spirits mouth into what he could tell was some form of energy blast.

And Katara standing where he was below the spirit.

“Katara, NO!”

His voice was drowned out by the high pitched beam of light shooting out of the spirits mouth and engulfing the area beneath it. The entire area was blinded by the blast as ground below was ripped apart. Aang shielded his eyes while trying to move forward. “Katara, get out of there!”

After several seconds the beam slowly dissipated until vanishing. The young airbender quickly pushed out a gust of wind to move the large dust cloud blocking his view. After he did, however… he had wished that he hadn’t. “No…”

There sat a massive crater beneath the great spirit, the earth disintegrated and burned up from the power of the energy. And nothing else.

She was gone.

“Katara… KATARA!!!!”

* * *

Darkness.

Emptiness.

Cold.

Those were the first things that ran through Katara’s mind as the energy had hit her. She thought she would have burned from it, and yet when she was struck, those were the things that she felt. It happened so fast she couldn’t even process what had happened after she pushed Aang out of the way. All she knew was that he wasn’t hit by the spirits attack and that he was unharmed. That alone was enough for her to be happy.

‘I hope that you will forgive me one day…’ she thought to herself as she sat in darkness, her closed eyes blocking out everything around her. Thoughts of her other friends and her brother began coming into her head, the pain of regret beginning to grow as she realized they would never see her again. ‘Sokka. Zuko. Suki. Toph. I’m sorry.’

She began sliding her legs across the ground to her chest and…

“Ground?”

Shifting her legs, she could feel the hard surface scrape beneath her. But how… she was dead… right?

She was hesitant to open her eyes in fear of what she would see, but her curiosity began to take over to what the hell was going on. Very slowly, she opened them up, only to shoot wide open a second later. “What.. Where?”

Katara found herself in a side alley on what she thought was gray rock, but it was all in one giant piece and perfectly flat. She sat up and stared to the two very tall buildings on each side of her. And these weren’t just tall… must have been as high as the earth kingdom palace! Not only that, the walls higher up had strange metal balconies all across the sides going to different entry points.

“What kind of building is that? I’ve never seen that before.” She said to herself as she stood up. The now dark sky was illuminated by a half moon, giving at least some light for the confused girl. She looked to expect burns or blood on her body, but she was in complete disbelief that not only was her body completely uninjured. Not just that, her clothes didn’t even have a scratch on them as well. “I could have sworn that spirit hit me with it’s attack. Or… was it an attack?” Her hands clutched her head as she tried to think. “What the heck is going on?”

She felt something on her hips and looked down, sighing in relief to her water canteen still full on her waist. “At least I have something with me.” Her ears suddenly heard chatting down the alleyway around a corner, causing her heart to jump in excitement. “Wait, if I got sent here, maybe Aang did too!”

She sprinted down the strange stone road and turned to the source of the voices. “Aang! Aang where are…” her voice came to a stop along with her feet as she exited to the open, “...you.”

Her eyes were overwhelmed with the suddenly bright lights of the bustling street, but it was unlike anything she had seen before. Buildings rose high into the sky, taller than the ones she was standing by and lit by strange fires that… didn’t seem to burn at all. Multiple Shops lined the area she was in and showed off strange outfits and weird trinkets she had never seen before. There were food carts with strange pink puffs attached to sticks and drinks that were in small, clear canteens. Strange sandwiches were on pictures, but she could read the word ‘burgers’. But then her eyes noticed…. The people.

“what in the…”

People wasn’t even the word she wanted to use as a man with a dog head walked by her. She walked out of the alley in shock as she stared at him go by before her eyes noticed a woman with bat wings go the other way. She weaved through the crowds of clawed hands, purple colored skin, and a child with what she thought were snakes growing out of their head instead of hair. Then there were ones who had multiple limbs coming out of their bodies, or even some who didn’t grow out animal parts at all. There was a boy who had what looked to be strange wheels instead of legs, and another woman who had a wooden head.

Her confusion grew even more as no one even seemed to notice or even care to the fact these people were all growing odd things from their bodies. They almost seemed more annoyed that she was the one staring at everyone going by.

“What the hell is this place?” She whispered out as she wiggled her way through the walking crowds. She stood at the edge of the people and heard a loud, vibrating voice.

“Looking to escape your troubles?”

Katara spun around thinking there was someone speaking to her but saw no one. Her eyes then caught the massive picture on the side of one of the buildings. It’s bright and colorful glow captivated her like rare jewelry to a royal. It showed a blonde woman with yellow eyes and snakes in her hair holding a pink bottle in her hand. But there was something about this picture that made her stare as if it were the last thing in the world.

It was moving.

The woman in the “picture” lifted the bottle up and sprayed it onto her neck. The woman smiled and looked towards Katara.

“Let your senses escape with the all new Jasmine fragrance. It will set you free.”

Katara stared at the bright image, her eyes unable to leave it. “It’s… pretty.” she mumbled as she stepped off the curb. She walked towards it like a moth drawn to a flame, not even looking around her surroundings any longer. “How do they make a picture move, or look so real?”

“Hey, get out of the road!”

The sudden scream broke Katara from her stare. Her eyes shot to the side and locked onto something screeching towards her. “Is… Thats a…!”

The strange vehicle was all metal except for the clear glass in front. It rushed through the road with no creature pulling it. That meant it moved on it’s own power. Just like…

“A fire nation tank!” She sneered out and flipped open her canteen. She bended out the water and enshrouded her arm. “So some of you followed me here, didn’t you!?”

Rushing forward, the angry waterbender lashed outward and sliced the front of the small tank off. One of it’s wheels bounced across the road and made the rest of the machine come to a screeching halt. Several people screamed from the sudden act happening out of nowhere. Smiling, Katara pulled the water back to her body and prepared herself for more to come as they opened it’s side doors. “Don’t think you can get me that easily you evil… fish?”

The man climbing out of the car had a red fish head staring out, it’s massive bugged eyes glaring at her. “What the hell!? You wrecked my car you stupid bitch!”

“Uhhhh…” Katara sat frozen at the sight of the yelling fish man stomping his feet towards her. “Sorry I thought you were fire nation.”

“Fire what? What about my car? You better have insurance for this!”

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

Katara turned around to see two men walking her way, both of them with purple skin and matching dark outfits. The crowd around began cheering as they walked forward.

“Hey, the twin ninja heroes are here!”

“Yeah, they will get that trouble maker!”

“Heroes?” Katara said as they came closer.

“Is there a problem?” One of the two asked.

“Yeah, there is a problem…” the fish man yelled out. “This girl just walked into the road and destroyed my car with her quirk!”

“My what?” Katara yelled out in confusion to what was going on.

The two heroes stared at her curiously and cautiously as her water was still out. “She has some kind of water quirk obviously, and quite strong to cut through a car.” one pointed out.

“Yeah that is pretty dangerous. But the question is… who is she? I’ve never seen that costume before on anyone around here. She obviously isn’t a pro, and she’s too young to have gotten her license yet.” the other asked.

“Could be a villain. Either way…” The first one reached into his pouch and pulled out several shuriken, “We have to take her in for unauthorized quirk use.”

Seeing them draw weapons caused fear in Katara. “Wait, I didn’t mean to do that!”

“Come with us now and we won’t have to hurt you, kid.” One of the heroes declared as he readied himself.

“No, I didn’t mean…” Katara back stepped away from them as they got closer. Her already heightened adrenaline made her panic and raise her water up.“Stay back!”

“Don’t resist!” One yelled and leaped into the air above her. He threw down multiple shuriken towards Katara, but her speed was too much as she quickly rolled out of the way. Grunting, the hero grabbed more from his belt and launched them downward.

Whipping around, Katara used her water arms and redirected the incoming blades away from her body and into the street. Her body in full flight mode kicked in as she sprinted down the road, more of these tanks… er cars stopped as the two heroes chased after her. “What is going on? What is this place!?” she yelled out in utter disbelief. She looked over his shoulder as the two ninjas started catching up. She then noticed a giant fountain coming up on her right. “Perfect.”

She reached out and bended out all of the water onto the street and shoved it behind her. Both heroes stopped in their tracks at the massive wave rushing towards them. “What the hell!? AGH!”

They yelled out as they were blown backwards from the sheer force hitting both of them. The turbulent waters bounced the heroes around for several seconds before slapping them down on the road. They coughed a few times before looking up to see the young girl gone and out of sight.

“Shoot, we lost her.” one of them grunted out as he stood up. “That is a powerful water quirk she’s got.”

“She won’t be getting away.” The other answered before pressing on the earpiece he was wearing. Calling all nearby heroes in Hosu city. We have a suspect that escaped our sights and is loose in the city. Young girl in blue robes and dark hair. Caution, suspect has a powerful water quirk. Repeat, suspect has a powerful water quirk.”

* * *

Running down one of the nearby alleyways, Katara stopped behind one of the nearby corners to catch her breath. Panting, she looked back around the wall to make sure she wasn’t followed, “What is this place? Is this in the fire nation somewhere?” She asked herself. “It can’t be, but… those machines. Only the fire nation has that kind of technology, but nothing like those things on the road.”

Was this somehow in the future? Or something else?

“Hey you, Stop right there!”

Katara spun around and saw another man walking towards her, this one in a blue and white outfit and what looked like a helmet with a fish fin on the top. ‘oh great. Another one after me.’ she pouted internally.

“I would rather not hurt you, and I order you to stop this now and come peacefully.” The hero Manual dropped a large container on the ground in from of him and flipped open the lid revealing water. He then lifted his hand up, the water flowing upwards and out above his body. Katara’s eyes sparkled at the scene she saw before her.

“You’re a waterbender!? Oh thank goodness!” She yelled out in excitement. “Please, can you tell me where I am?”

Manual raised his eyebrow in confusion. “A what? Waterbender?”

Katara’s smile faltered at hearing what he said. “But… you are bending water. You have to be one.”

He could see the troubled look on her face and tried to use this to his advantage.“I’m not sure what you are talking about, but how about we just go to the police and straighten this out.” His eyes noticed the two ninja heroes creeping up behind the girl, so he continued keeping her distracted. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to do what you did earlier, so how about we go talk to the others and get this all sorted up.”

While he thought he was sly, Katara had dealt with situations like this before and sensed others around her. She whipped her own water out and lashed it out behind her. The two heroes barely evaded the incoming whips and dashed towards her.

“Manual, hit her with your quirk! We will restrain her!”

“Right!” Manual shot the water forward towards Kataras back, only for her right arm to reach into his own water and pull it all towards her. “She took control of my water!?” He exclaimed in shock.

Glaring out, Katara created multiple water arms and shot them in all directions, snatching all three of the heroes and lifting them off the ground. They all tried to flail around to escape but to no avail from the strong grip around their waists.

“What the hell! Who is this kid?” Manual yelled out as he tried to rip through the water around him. “My quirk isn’t working. She’s overpowering it!”

“I Don’t know what’s going on here, and I don’t want to hurt you.” Katara explained to them. “But I can’t let you follow me anymore.” All of the heroes were suddenly pushed up against the nearby walls and felt the water around them suddenly lock up into ice sticking them to the concrete.

“Ice!?” Manual screeched in panic, “You said her quirk was only water!”

“She didn’t use ice earlier, how were we supposed to know!?” one the ninja sneered out. He tried with all his strength to break free from the ice around hid body but couldn’t even budge it. “Shit, we aren’t getting out of this anytime soon.”

Manual gritted his teeth and looked back where their captor was standing, only to see she had vanished once again. “Great, she’s gone again.”

_“Manual, come in! Where are you?”_

The earpiece in Manual’s helmet crackled in his ear, making him sigh out. “I’m off the corner of Shinji Himota street. I’m in the back alleyway with two others.”  
  


_“Have you found the suspect?”_

“We did but she got away. Hey listen…” his face turned a bright red from embarrassment. “Can you… come unfreeze us?”

_“I’m sorry, what did you just say???”_

* * *

The streets through Hosu became filled with gossip of a possible villain running through the streets. Word began getting out that multiple heroes were taken down with ease from this person, and now the city was being put on alert. More and more heroes began showing up and searching through the crowds trying to find the mysterious girl that showed up. As they rushed around the streets, a single girl in blue ran down the side alley further away from the loud crowds.

Peeking around the corner of the building, Katara looked around and ducked back as several of the odd black and white vehicles drove passed her. The high pitched sirens and flashing lights were so bizarre to her and didn’t make sense. “If they were looking for me why wouldn’t they try to be more quiet about it? I can hear them coming.”

Shaking her head, she looked out again and noticed a break in cars on the road and very few people at this moment. “I don’t get what’s going on or where the heck I am, but I’m out of this place.” She said to herself before running from cover across the road. “If I can just get to the edge of the city, I can make my way to a smaller village and figure out what this place is.”

A massive blast of fire scorched the sidewalk in front of her cutting off her pathway. “What the!?” She screamed out and stepped back to avoid the intense heat from the flames.

“So you are the one causing all of this trouble.”

Katara turned around and felt her heart rate double as the figure made its way towards her. The massive man in blue had fire enshrouding his boots and most of his face, giving off a terrifying sight for the young girl. Through all of the battles she had been in, she could instantly tell this man was different than the few who tried to stop her earlier.

“It’s quite the coincidence I was doing patrols in this town today, but it turns out to be pretty unlucky for you, criminal.” The burning man smiled as his fists lit up in a bright ball of fire.

Katara felt sweat drip down her forehead from the intimidating vibe she was receiving from this man, somehow feeling even more frightened than when faced against Azula. “You’re… a firebender aren’t you?” she shakingly asked.

“Firebender?” The hero Endeavor questioned before smirking, “I haven’t heard my quirk called that before. Either way, I’ll be the one taking you in.”


	2. A Helping Hand

Katara could not believe her luck. First she found herself in some strange nation, or future… whatever it was, with none of her friends and family to help her. And if that weren’t a bad enough situation already, she just so happened to run into a gigantic man who also happened to be a firebender. His massive frame and built even made the intimidating Combustion man look small in stature. Either way, her instincts prepared her for a fight and pulled out all of the water she had of her canteen.

“You can tell every other fire nation soldier they are not going to be capturing me!” she declared and lowered into her guard.

Endeavor chuckled as he looked at the girls defensive posture. He didn’t even process what she had said since she looked serious about taking him on. “Please, little one. I’m not sure where you are from, but you obviously don’t know who I am.”

“Why, are you a general or something?” She sneered at him.

“A general? HAHA!”Endeavor threw his head back and couldn’t contain himself. “You must have hurt your head recently, girl.” he stuck out his hand trying to coax her to come towards him. “Now, how about you just walk this way and make it easier for me.”

“How about you get out of my way!” Katara swung her arm forward and shot a column of water encasing his hand. She prepared to yank backwards to pull him off balance, but before she even could his arm released a blast of fire outwards vaporizing the water on his body.

Her eyes went wide as her water steamed off of him and back towards her. “What? How did…”

“Come child, I would rather not have to hurt you. It won’t look good for me if I have to actually use force on a kid. Especially a young girl like you.”

Those words sent a sting of anger in Katara. ‘Does he think a girl can’t handle herself?’ she growled internally and pulled the water over her shoulders.

Seeing she didn’t want to surrender, Endeavor frowned and ignited both of his hands. “You really want to make this difficult? Then fine.” Bright white knives of fire formed in is palms as he walked towards the waterbender. “You asked for this, so don’t complain when you get burned.”

Gritting her teeth, Katara began launching her water whips towards him, but watched as he casually ducked and dodged both of them like they weren’t even there. ‘For his size, is speed is incredible.’ she said to herself as the flame hero seemingly danced by her attacks. ‘Looks like I won’t be ending this fast like I had hoped.

The two thick arms of water she manipulated then broke out into a mass of tendrils extending from her hands. She began waving her arms over her head creating a spinning whirlwind around herself and walked forward. Endeavor didn’t try to evade from the incoming spiral of water however, simply using his flame knives to begin slicing through each of the small whips like they were butter. After a few more spins, Katara stopped and looked up to the incoming man with her worry beginning to grow. “He’s just… the water is nothing to him.”

Gritting her teeth, she formed the water all back into a single column around her and thrust her arm forward. The thick stream rushed towards Endeavor like a locomotive. But once again the fire hero simply held his hand up and shot out a powerful blast of fire back towards her. The opposing attacks collided in a burst of hot steam erupting outward. Katara pushed as hard as she could to gain some ground, but her panic grew as her water began to dissipate at a frightening rate. She looked passed the two elements to see him casually stand there, not any form of strain on his face. She could tell not only was he unphased by her techniques, but that he wasn’t even trying between their standoff.

As the two of them engaged, crowds began to form along the sidewalk as the fire and water crashed in the streets. The spectators watched in awe as the number two hero battled this mysterious girl, whispers going through the citizens as they stood back and took in the show.

“Check it out, Endeavor’s at it again! He’s so cool!”

“Look at how powerful he is. His quirk is destroying hers.”

“Yeah she should just give up. I’d hate to see a young girl get hurt.”

“Oh come on, she’s obviously a villain if Endeavor is after her!”

Seeing her water nearly vaporized, Katara pulled back what she had left and jumped out of the way of the still incoming flames. She covered up her neck to help block the intense heat running passed her body before it dissipated. Her eyes rose up to see the burning boots of Endeavor standing right in front of her face. She slowly looked up to the man staring down at her with a cold look that even Toph could have felt despite her lack of sight. She could feel the sweat drip down her forehead not just from the heat from the large man, but from the fear growing inside of her chest.

“Come now, let’s end this little act of bravery now…” Endeavor taunted as his hand went towards her face. “I’m not in the mood to-

“Rah!” Katara whipped up a ball of water and encased Endeavors head. The flame hero stumbled back in shock as his face was suddenly covered in wetness before feeling it freeze solid. With him backing up, Katara used this moment to quickly get up and run down the road passed all the shocked bystanders. She looked down and saw her canteen was nearly empty and knew she had no chance if she kept fighting with what water was left on her. She needed two things right now; either a new source of water to challenge this man, or to simply escape this city. Her sprint came to a stop when she sensed a massive amount of water hidden underground to her right. She looked back and forth until her eyes came onto a hydrant on the street corner and grinned.

“Now there is the water I needed.” She reached forward and began pulling at the air in front of it, straining at the pressure holding it inside. After a few moments, the top burst off and released a massive geyser of rushing water high into the air. “Now let’s see who has the advantage now.” she smirked.

Endeavor stopped clawing at the ice and clenched his fists. The ice glowed red before a burst of flames erupted out from his face and shattered the encasement. The flame hero turned in fury towards the waterbender. “Alright you little brat! I was trying to be nice for you, but now you pissed me off!” His glare dissipated when he saw the thirty foot wall of water behind his target. “Oh… so you do have quite the quirk like they said.”

Not caring to hear him speak, she stepped forward and threw the great wave at her pursuer. The water burst down the street and fully engulfed Endeavor in a great crash, swirling around him in a spinning mass. Katara continued to wave her hands back and forth and made the water constrict tighter before clenching her palms together and slapping them down into the water passing her. In a quick flash, the water near her froze instantly and chased up the stream before spreading out over the large water prison. The cold sheet instantly rushed throughout and froze all the water encircling Endeavor. Once completed, the ice ball sat over thirty feet around and nearly engulfed the whole street.

Katara dropped her hands and fell to her knees. She took several deep gasps to catch her breath, somewhat exhausted from the massive prison she created but also relief she finally ended this small conflict. “Now I just need to get out of-

“Flashfire Fist…”

An immense glow began to form within the ice formation, growing so bright the street itself became illuminated. Katara quickly stood back up in terror as she watched the red light slowly turning blinding white. “No… there’s no way.”

“JET BURN!”

A fiery beam obliterated the frozen formation, massive pieces of ice flying through the air and smashing into all of the buildings above the terrified onlookers. Katara felt the intense shock wave blow her back several feet and knock her off her feet. She crawled back several feet before turning to face where she had encased the hero, only to find him standing there with a bright glowing fist. “He just… destroyed it like it was nothing…” She muttered out in shock.

The entire ice prison had been shattered like it was nothing more than a box of tissue paper. and whatever ice was left not only melted, but the water on the ground had evaporated into nothingness. Katara had never seen such a powerful use of fire in her life. Not even Azula empowered with Sozin’s Comet had power to this level. And once again, he looked like he still wasn’t going all out against her. He wasn’t just better than any firebender, he was leagues passed them. Her heart sank when she now saw the inevitable truth.

There was no way she could beat this man.

Endeavor slowly walked towards the terrified girl, a large smirk across his face. “I must say child, you have impressed me. You have a very unique quirk and yet you have completely wasted it by being a villain. And now that you have no more of your water now, lets be done with this game, shall we?”

Katara crawled backwards in terror as the massive man came her way, but she hadn’t the courage to try and run anymore. The water in her canteen was near empty, and the rest of the water all around had been vaporized. She came to the realization that running at this point was useless and would only make matters worse. But to surrender to this meant-

“Hey, watch out!”

Both Katara and endeavor looked back to the sudden cracking of concrete, the sections of buildings hit by the exploding ice beginning to fracture and break apart. Chunks of cement began falling down and smacking into the ground near the terrified spectators. Endeavor sneered and ran towards them. “Everyone get clear! It’s collapsing!”

The panicked citizens panicked and began running in all directions to evade the chunks of wall falling around them. Using his fire, endeavor melted some of the smaller pieces of rubble dropping before they could hit anyone. As a larger portion dropped, He burst forward and grabbed a few of the stragglers and jetted them out of the way. Katara watched in awe at how fast he reacted to the situation, her own mind just processing the situation. But then she saw a small child standing petrified in the crowd, and a large piece of building falling down towards him.

“Look out!” she screamed and ran as fast as she could. The took out whatever water she had left and rushed it out to enshroud the bottom of the falling wall. It wasn’t enough however and it began forcing through the small pool. The young boy screamed in fear and ducked down as the stone came closer. Katara quickly jumped underneath the stone and pushed back up against it to freeze the ice on the bottom. After a few moments however the ice began to crack from the weight.

Wincing, Katara used all her strength to try and move the stone, but with so little water she had now her bending wasn’t enough to redirect it. Her heart raced in terror as the ice began breaking off and the stone coming closer. She shut her eyes in fear and dropped down to cover the boys body, waiting for the wall to fall onto her. Before it did though, she felt her side grabbed and yanked off the ground in blinding speed. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and saw the one who saved her.

The six foot man was wearing white armor over his whole body. She couldn’t see his face due to the forward protruding helmet he wore. And from his elbows were strange golden protrusions sticking out, small smoke trails flowing from the top. She then noticed the boy she tried helping was being held in the mans other arm, his own eyes looking up in awe to the new hero before being set down and run to his parents. She then felt her body lowered allowing her to stand on her own. She sat silently as the tall hero stood tall and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“That was extremely brave what you did there. Are you alright?” He asked her in a kind tone.

“Y-yeah. Thank you for saving us.” Katara stuttered out to him.

“Hey, Ingenium!” Endeavor yelled in anger as he walked up. “That one is my capture. Don’t be trying to sneak in and take my prize!”

The named hero Ingenium turned and faced the fire hero. “This has nothing to do with who’s capture it is or not. This girl is not a threat.”

“Not a threat? She took out three others and caused damage to the street here.” Endeavor shouted out. “I am the one who stopped her.”

“And this destruction is all her?” Ingenium pointed up to the damaged building. “I saw the explosion you created is what launched all the ice into the walls.”

Endeavor frowned and turned his head. “I’ll pay for the damage!”

“And I heard the reports myself…” Ingenium continued, “She restrained Manual and the others without injuring them. They said she seemed confused to where she was, therefore she was panicked. And she just risked her life to save that child. No villain I’ve ever encountered would have dared do something like that.”

Katara felt a warm feeling of relief there was someone who was giving her the chance to finally let her explain her situation. She looked back and forth between her former opponent and her rescuer, definitely choosing to side with the latter as he turned back towards her and removed his helmet. The man appeared to be around thirty with dark blue hair and eyes. He had a kind look to his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder. At first she shifted back, but the reassuring look he gave calmed her and made her more comfortable.

“How about we stop this fighting and I promise I’ll help you figure out what's going on, alright?”

Realizing she had no better choice, Katara gave a small nod towards him.

* * *

“Okay, this is really not what I was hoping for.” Katara frowned at the handcuffs on her wrists.

The walk towards the police precinct had only been a few minutes, but to the waterbender it felt like she walked for miles. She was willing to talk, but she still never felt truly comfortable with Endeavor beaming down at her from behind. Ingenium had walked beside her the whole time with a hand on her shoulder. He gripped soft enough to keep her comfortable, but just hard enough to if she tried to run she couldn’t. She sighed realizing there was no other choice though and did not resist. Her eyes then were met with the large blue doors of the station opening up, revealing a big room loaded with men in matching blue and black uniforms with badges.

‘This must be those police they keep mentioning.’ Katara thought as they walked through the crowd of staring officers. Most were in awe that two big named heroes were here at once, but the fact they were both here for this young girl. All the looks she received made her more uncomfortable, clutching her hands together while they made there way into the back. After walking down another hallway they reached a door and opened it, revealing a small bright room with a single table inside. While hesitant to go in, Katara obliged the small push from Ingenium and walked through the door and sat down in one of the chairs.

“Sorry about the cuffs, but that is protocall.” Ingenium stated before sitting in the chair across from her.

“It’s okay. I understand.” Katara responded.

The loud sneer from Endeavor made both of them look up and glare as he shot back the same look. “Apologizing to a criminal. You really are too soft.”

“How about we let her tell her side of everything when the chief arrives, alright?” Ingenium shot back. “She’s just a young girl frightened who-

“Who happens to have an extremely powerful quirk by the way…’’ Endeavor interrupted, “...Lets not forget she is responsible for a considerable amount of damage.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who almost got those people killed.” Katara shot back. “You were the one who blew up the ice.”

Endeavor’s vein pulsed on his forehead. “Excuse me!? You smart ass little-

“I see you are conducting this talk without me.”

All three in the room turned to see the police chief walk through the door. The very tall man matched Endeavor in height, but not as large built overall. The one thing that Katara noticed right away though was the brown and tan dog head sticking out of the suit. ‘jeez, can’t I meet one normal person?’ she sighed to herself.

“So you are the one who caused the disturbance tonight, woof.”

‘Woof!?’ her mind yelled at her for the odd pun that she almost didn’t process the question. Shaking her head clear from the shock, she slowly nodded her head. “I didn’t mean to, sir. I was thrown out of place when I arrived here and-

“So you take out three heroes just because you didn’t know where you were?” Endeavor sneered and walked towards the table, “You really must think we are stupid or something to believe that.”

Katara pulled back in her chair from the menacing man, but she glared and stood back up to face him. “Hey, they were the ones who attacked me first.”

“After you destroyed a car in the road!”

“That tank was trying to attack me too!”

“A WHAT!? That was a Honda civic!”

How about you both take it down a notch, why don’t you?” The chief grumbled as he walked passed the flame hero. “Let’s take it back a step. I am Kenji Tsuragamae, chief of the police force. And you are?”

Katara rubbed her thumbs together debating to use something fake, but with everything going on, the truth was the best option. Sitting back down, she sighed and looked up to him. “My name is Katara, sir.”

He waited a few moments before raising an eyebrow. “Katara… what?”

it was Katara’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

“What is your family name?”

Katara sat silent for a few moments, since only noble families ever had last names like her friend Toph. “I… don’t have a family name.”

The chief and Ingenium looked at each other for a moment, all while Endeavor simply pouted behind them. Ingenium looked back towards her. “I’m sorry. What orphanage did you grow up in?”

“Excuse Me?”

“You don’t have a last name. That means you didn’t grow up with a family-

“I have family, but we don’t have a family name unless you are royalty.”

“Okay… um…” Ingenium scratched his head and looked back to the chief with a confused look. “Is there a new thing lately about that I missed?”

“Definetely not…” Kenji scratched his chin and stared at the young girl. “It’s quite obvious you are not from around here, so where exactly are you from.

Katara looked at the dog and let out a small sigh. “I’m from the southern water tribe.”

The room went so silent even the minuscule hum from the light seemed loud to the ears.

“Uhhhhh…. What?”

“Okay I need a coffee after that shit.” Endeavor grunted as he stormed out of the room. “Call me when she actually makes any sense.”

After he slammed the door behind him, the chief scratched the top of his head and grunted. “I am not as bad as him, woof, but I do need a better answer than that.”

“That is the truth, sir...”Katara pleaded, “I am from the southern water tribe that lives near the south pole. I don’t how to explain it in another way, but that is the truth. I was with my friends and my brother…” She paused and took another deep breath, “It’s going to be a long story.”

* * *

While leaving out the minor details, Katara explained to the two of them everything that she could; the nations she came from, the hundred year war, and the 4 forms of bending. All of it led to the spirit incident that had led to her being here only a few hours earlier. While she assumed the two of them would have simply shut her up and assumed she was making it all up, they allowed her to keep going. They sat there, most of the time with puzzled looks and no idea what she was talking about, but they listened nonetheless.

After what felt like ten to fifteen minutes, Katara finally finished her summary. “And that's everything I know of how I got here.”

Ingenium leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand through his hair. “I have to say Katara, That’s… quite the story.”

She noticed the confused look in his eyes and felt defeated. “So… you don’t believe me, do you?”

“Actually, that is the troubling part…” he revealed a genuine smile on his face. “I actually do believe you.”

“As do I.” The chief exclaimed behind him.

Katara’s heart fluttered in excitement at finally seeing hope in her dark situation. “You do?”

“I’ve been on the job so long child, And I have seen quite the number of stories…” the dog cop paused as he popped his neck. “Either you have the most convoluted lie I’ve ever heard, or you really did come from some other place and just had no idea where you were when you woke up. And you seem truly genuine when you speak.”

Katara let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thank you sir. Now that I’ve told you everything, could you is there a way to get these off now?”

The chief looked down to her raised hands showing off the cuffs, his blank expression not changing. “And who says that you are not under arrest any longer?”

The smile on her face melted off to his cold words. “What? But you said that you believed me and that I-

“Does that excuse you from breaking the laws of our country?” He cut her off.

“Sir, hold on…” Ingenium turned and looked to him in confusion. “It was very obvious she had no idea what was happening or where she was. You cannot blame her for this.”

“If a person doesn’t know how to drive and they cause a car accident… does that excuse them from the crash? Whether you knew them or not, the law is the law here.”

“But chief!” Ingenium stood up to face the stern captain. “She didn’t know where she was. By what she told us about where ever she came from, she thought that car was a weapon of war. You can call that a case of PTSD.”

“PT what?” Katara asked him.

He looked back to her and glared. “You’re not helping.”

“So you are asking me to lie for her and to create a story to cover up this situation?” The chief snorted to the young hero. “Young Ingenium, you are notorious for helping many heroes who have struggled through graduation as sidekicks, even offering to taking some without licenses to work for you.”

Ingenium closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I have always wanted to be a hero sir, but there are others who do not have the opportunity to do what they want. I have always wanted to give those who need help the chance to do the best they can to help others.”

“And with her using her quirk in public without a license. She still caused the damage to that car and hydrant.”

“I will cover the damages sir. You can bill my agency.”

Katara sat dumbfounded to the kindness this random man was showing her. He didn’t even know who she was, and he was willing to go through all of this to help her. “No, you don’t need to do that. I did do what he said, so I should be responsible for that.”

“I must agree…” The chief stared at the good samaritan curiously. “Why are you offering to do all of this for her?”

Ingenium smiled and looked up. “Because I can see the potential of her being a true hero, sir.”

Both Katara and the chief looked at him in surprise as he turned back towards her. “When I saw you risk your own life and try and save that boy, I was shocked. You didn’t even hesitate to jump in there to do the right thing. Only a true hero would ever do something like that.”

Katara let out a small blush to his kind words. “I was… I couldn’t just let him get hurt like that. I didn’t really think about it. It just happened.”

“And that is why I can see the great things you could do.”

The chief hummed as he listened to his words. “I see you have taken a soft spot for the girl, and you have made some interesting points. However, there is still the situation of what to do with her situation…” He stepped forward and looked down to the young waterbender. “With no family here and no home, I can’t simply let you free on the streets.”

Knowing he was telling the truth, Katara felt the cold feeling of loneliness wash over her. What was she supposed to do, go back to the alley she showed up and live there? Ingenium rubbed his chin thinking of the same problem, but then his mind clicked with an idea. It may have been crazy, but it was the best he could think of.

“Sir, if I may… I will take full responsibility and let her stay with me.”

Both Katara and the chief’s eyes bulged out of their heads to the sudden offer he made for them. “Wait, what? You are offering me to live with you?” She exclaimed.

“I must agree, that is out of the question.” The chief raised his paw hand up, “You are asking me to-

“I am asking this favor to help everything in the situation sir.” Ingenium pointed out. “She needs a place to go and someone to show her the laws and how this place works. I will take on that responsibility and teach her the ways of our society.” He bowed down to show his respect. “Please sir, I can see the potential in her, and she should be given this chance to be able to make up for the small mistake she made.”

Katara’s mouth hung open in disbelief from what she heard. A place to stay and someone offering to cover everything she ruined felt all to real for her, and yet it was happening. “This is… I can’t...”

The chief gave a small smile to her stuttering words and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well I can’t say this is protocol, but I can’t deny the logic in your offer. I’ll put something in writing so you can take all responsibility for the damages and for her actions from here on out. This is for sure a situation I have never experienced so I won’t push this out to the public. Just remember, If anything else happens after this, I will not be letting it slide, got it?”

Ingenium smiled and bowed again. “Thank you sir! I’ll make sure she learns the laws and will do her best from here on out.”

While they talked, Katara sat silently in utter shock from the events that just happened. Even as the chief walked over and released the cuffs off of her, she still couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Now it would be best if you go out the back to get less attention your way. It will take a few days to straighten everything out so have her stay indoors until it’s all settled.” The chief stated as he opened the door for them.

“Thank you chief. I won’t forget this.” Ingenium nodded as he walked towards the door before pausing and holding his hand out for her. “You ready?”

Not wanting to waste this chance, Katara nodded and snatched his hand and followed him out the door. She shot a quick glance and smiled back to the large dog. “Thank you, sir.”

The chief nodded back to her as they made their way down the empty hallway and around the corner out of sight. He watched until their footsteps vanished before he huffed and scratched his nose. “Well this is a case I won’t be forgetting, woof.”

“Oi!”

The chief turned to see Endeavor stomping back towards him carrying a large cup of coffee. “Oh, you didn’t drink your coffee yet?” the dog mocked.

Endeavor’s facial fire expanded out in frustration and his eye twitching. “This is my third damn cup! What’s taking so long with this girl!?”

“Oh we finished our talk with her, actually.”

“What!?” Endeavors hand began growing hotter, boiling the coffee inside the cup. “And you didn’t tell me? Let me talk to her, I have some things to say!”

The chief shook his head. “She’s not in the room anymore, so you can’t talk to her.”

Endeavors forehead vein twitched several times, his temper and caffeine not mixing very well. “And where the hell is she?”

Sighing, the chief grabbed his walkie talkie and clicked it on. “Sergeant, activate the fire sprinklers in fifteen seconds.”

* * *

making his way through the back door of the precinct, Ingenium glanced around to make sure there wasn’t other officers around to question what he was doing. The less he had to talk to other cops the better. Once he knew it was clear, he signaled his new companion to follow him out into the parking lot. Katara slipped through the opening and ducked behind the nearby car.

“Alright, let’s get out of this area before someone recognizes you and calls the police again.” He said and walked towards the side street.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?”

Both of them turned to the loud scream when a sudden bright flash illuminated the entirety of the police station, followed by the high pitched fire alarm inside. Ingenium felt his bow sweat and turned back forward. “Oookay, let’s go before Endeavor decides to follow us.”

“Uhh, yeah.” Katara has ecstatic she wasn’t made to stay with a guy like that. She looked forward and noticed her helper was already down the sidewalk. “Hey, wait…” Katara yelled out and ran by his side, “Why did you do all of this for me?”

The hero smiled as they walked together. “I have a brother who is around your age, and he is aiming to be a hero just like me. Seeing what you did to save that boy made me think of him and what he will have to do soon. I can’t help but want to see you do the same.”

She looked back to the road as she rubbed her neck. “Well I don’t really understand all this talk of heroes or stuff, but I can’t thank you enough for helping me Mr. Ingenium.”

“Please, Ingenium is my hero name. My real name is Tensei Lida.” He turned and bowed towards her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Smiling, Katara followed his act and gave a small bow back. “Katara, pleasure to meet you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here is chapter 2 for everyone! also while i will be uploading it here, the story is already passed chapter 25 on fanfiction.net . if you would like to see more of the story you can go there now.


	3. The Iida Household

After a somewhat silent walk, the two reached the nearby train station and boarded the east bound line. Katara looked through the brightly lit cabin with uncertainty, but was grateful it was empty at least due to the late evening.

“So at least this is kind of similar to what I had before.” Katara said as she sat on the train seat next to Tensei.

“You had trains from where you came from?” he asked her.

“Yeah, but none were as big as this one. Usually just one or two carts that were pushed by earthbenders.”

“people pushed the trains?” Tensei’s mind immediately pictured Fred Flinstone.

“Thats right. The trains were made of rock so for a bender they simply push the rock along the track.”

Tensei listened with interest to her as she explained how her home worked, people using powers for jobs just like he did. His eyes went down to the canteen she had on her waist and raised an eyebrow. “So I heard from Manual that you called him a waterbender since you saw his quirk.”

Katara looked back to him and nodded, “Well, yeah. He controlled water just like I do. But… what why do you call them ‘quirks’?”

the hero smiled and leaned forward. “Well, quirks are abilities that people have and can use. It seems you know of have four different elements and you can control one of them from where you came from, correct?”

Katara nodded again.

“Well, you seemed shocked to the chief when he walked in.”

“Uh, yeah. He had an animal head!” She exclaimed, finally able to speak her mind, “I saw so many other odd things when I was in the city!”

Tensei simply laughed at her shock to the situation. “So obviously you haven’t seen those kind of things before. The captain has a dog quirk, so he is obviously part dog. That means he has all the abilities a human and his animal form has together. Speed, strength and senses.”

Katara tilted her head in confusion. “So… he can smell and hear as good as a dog?”

“Actually better. Anyone who specifically trains their skills can push them to unforeseen levels.” He noticed Katara leaning over and staring at his backside. “Uh, something wrong?”

“You don’t have like… a lemur tail or something, do you?”

Tensei burst out lauging and waved his hand at her question. “No no. Not everyone here has animal or element quirks. Some have powers to create weapons from their body or just glow. Others do things as simple as see miles away. Quirks can be anything from strength to mental powers.”

Katara looked at the man next to her up and down, but couldn’t see anything odd coming from him that she could tell was one. “So you have one of these… quirks?”

“Yes I do…” Tensei lifted up his arm and pointed to the golden pipes sticking out. “This is my engine quirk. It accelerates me and makes me very fast.”

Her eyes widened as she stared at the metal pieces protruding out. “Wait, that’s coming out of your body? I thought that was part of your armor!”

“No, its from me.” He chuckled. “I have engines that come from my arms. They…” He looked at the empty train and smiled, “How about I just show you, instead.”

Katara watched him stand up and walk towards the back door of the train and then turn back around. She glanced to the left down the long empty hallway and then back to him. “What are you going to do? The-

Her words stopped in her throat when she watched the thin column of flames burst out the top of his exhaust pipes and he blitzed forward through the cabin. Katara watched the blur of a man rush by her and cause a whirlwind passed her head and reach the end of the cabin in only a moment. Before she could even react, he flipped around and rushed back the other way. Her hair got whipped up and pulled by the gust following his body down the train before he skidded to a stop in front of her.

“Woah.”

Tensei grinned at the one word she was able to get out. “Yes, that is my quirk.”

She looked up to the smoke slowly coming out of the top and remembered the same thing when he had saved her. ‘So that is how he got to us so fast. That is amazing.’ she thought to herself as she straightened her loose hair. “That is a great power to have. You can move faster than anything.”

“Well don’t give me too much credit. I’m not near as fast as other heroes.”

Katara was about to say more when she heard a voice echo through the train.

“ _All passengers, we are arriving in Tokyo station momentarily. Please prepare to depart.”_

Tensei looked up and blew out his mouth. “This is our stop. Let’s get going.”

“Oh, alright then.” Katara stood up as well, both of them feeling the train coming to a stop. The doors opened revealing a small crowd of people preparing to board the train. While the hero and his acquaintance attempted to make their way through, many of the younger ones noticed the hero and rushed up to him in excitement.

“Woah, it’s Ingenium!”  
  


“Sir, can we get your autograph!?”

“Hey, take a picture with me!”

Tensei gave the best smile he could for all of the kids and teens that ran up to him. “I thank

you all, but I really should be getting going now, actually since-

“Oh come on, please!!” Some of the girls giggled out in excitement and came closer.

“Oh alright, just I can’t stay long, alright?”

As the fans all cheered in excitement, Katara stood to the side speechless. This all seemed so similar to when Aang was swarmed with all those kids back on Kyoshi island when they first met. She couldn’t help but giggle at his expense seeing these girls obviously crushing over him and getting closer as he tried to sign the pages they shoved in front of him. She was caught off guard though when she felt a slight tug on her robes. She turned to see a young boy smiling up at her with a giant smile.

“Uh… hi there.” She smiled down at him but was confused when he handed her a notebook and a pen. “What’s this for?”

“Can I get your autograph please!?” he yelled up to her.

Katara was taken back by the sudden request and stepped back slightly. “Wait, what? Why?”

“Well you are one of Ingenium’s sidekicks, aren’t you?”

“What? His side…” She chuckled and waved her hand. “No no, I’m not one of his sidekicks.”

The boy pulled the notebook and stuck his tongue out at her. “Then you’re just a stupid fan girl, aren’t you?”

“I- what!?” Katara was shocked at the kids sudden attitude change as he turned around and walked away from her. “What the hell was that?”

Tensei laughed at her expense and made his way through the fans towards her. “Don’t worry about it. Many kids love heroes and don’t like when people pretend to be them.”

“But I’m not trying to be-

“I know I know. It’s not your fault. Come on, let’s get you some food. You hungry?”

Almost on hearing that, Katara’s stomach growled out loud for both of them to hear. She blushed and held her abdomen. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Well I have some ramen to cook back at my place if that is alright for you.”

Katara sighed in excitement hearing a food she was definitely familiar with. “Yes that sounds amazing actually. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to help.” Tensei nodded as they made their way through the station and out the main entrance to the street. “My place is just down the block actually, so it isn’t far.”

“Block? What is… oh never mind.” Katara shook her head, figuring she would find out the terms and other things she kept hearing. She looked to her right and watched the different cars drive by, still getting the odd sensation firebenders would jump out at any moment. But she had to remember this place wasn’t her home, and she would have to figure out how it worked until she found a way back.

Or… if she could get back.

“Katara?”

“Huh?” she looked back to him, realizing she spaced out. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I was saying that when we get there, we will have to introduce you to my parents to make it-

“Wait, you live with your parents?” Katara put her hands on her hips and gave a questioning look. “How old are you?”

“Easy there, captain obvious…” Tensei sneered back at her. “Yes I do live with them since our family business is being heroes. We help each other with our costumes and work on cases together, so it’s easier to be close for convenience.”

“Can’t you just get a home right next to them and have your own space?”

“I have more than just a bedroom if you were curious. It’s…” Tensei huffed and pointed to the left. “Let’s just let say it’s big enough.”

“what do you…” She stopped walking when she saw where he pointed. “Okay, now you are just showing off.”

The two of them stood in front of a large mansion that ran along most of the sidewalk they were standing on. It was three stories tall and had what looked to be a dozen room windows along the face of the building. It in fact looked like one of the large buildings she would have seen in the earth kingdom capital and yet it was where he lived. No wonder he didn’t move out of his parents place. They must have been loaded!

Katara sat open mouthed as her host came by and lifted it back up. “It’s just a house, nothing too special.”

“Nothing special? I grew up in a block of ice and a hut.” she muttered and walked alongside him to the doors.

“Hey, a home is a home.” Tensei smiled and went to open up the door before pausing. “Hey, so I will be honest and say your situation is… interesting to say the least. Lets keep that stuff between us, okay?”

“What am I supposed to say then? I don’t know anything of this place to lie about.”

“You’re an exchange student from a small village in the south and are here learning about Tokyo. How about that?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Thats it?”

“You got a better idea?” Tensei unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Sighing, Katara walked in after him and was taken back by the sheer size of the entryway inside. Marble flooring shined against the faint light coming from the ceiling and illuminated the rest of the room. There were several large couches lining the walls, along with a few side tables lined with glass vases and small trinkets.

“wow, this is amazing.” she said in awe as she spun looking to everything around her.

“Yeah, they always thought the first room was the most important for an impression.” Tensei sighed, obviously not impressed with his parents expensive taste. “Actually looks like they aren’t home now.”

Katara looked at him in confusion. “How can you tell? The house is huge, they could be in the back.”

“You see the shoe rack?” Tensei pointed to the empty stand to his left. “There are always shoes when they are home.”

“Shoe rack?” She looked down and saw her shoes still on, and several small scuffs where she left marks behind her. “Oops.”

Tensei smiled and waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll clean it in a bit. So it gives you some time to relax before having to meet them. Now let’s get you that food.”

After taking their shoes off, Katara followed him down one of the hallways and passed several large rooms that really caught her eyes. She wanted to see what were inside, but she respected his home and would wait for him to give her the tour. They came up to another closed door at the end of this hallway as he turned back to her.

“So this area of the house I rent from them. This is where you will be staying, alright?”

“Stay here with you?” She shifted awkwardly in place as her mind began racing. “Well I appreciate you doing this for me, but I would be intruding if I had to share a room with you.”

“Don’t worry, you get the spare room.”

“Spare?” She questioned as he pushed the door open and was completely surprised once again. “And I thought it really would be just a room.”

His “bedroom” was in fact a large and spacious living room connected to what she assumed was a kitchen due to the pots on the counter. Several couches encircled a glass table to the right in the main living room and in front of a large black picture on the wall. Behind this room she could see several other doorways leading to a few other bedrooms and what looked like a library filled with books. She couldn’t but be impressed with what she saw here.

“Okay, so this is like your own house here. I can see why you stay here.”

Tensei chuckled as he removed the chest portion of his costume and set it aside. “I actually have been looking for a place of my own eventually. Since I run my own agency, I was thinking of getting a home just across from my office in Hosu. Oh, go and sit down, I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Thank you.” Katara smiled and walked over to the couch and took a seat. She leaned back and rested her head on the soft headrest behind her, relishing in the comfort she felt like she hadn’t had in weeks. Her eyes shifted back and forth through the room, taking in the nice and yet modest look he had compared to the entryway she saw just before this. Perhaps he didn’t value things like money as much as others did despite obviously having a lot of it. That along with his already generous heart made her respect him even more.

“you want some juice with your food?”

Katara turned around to the sudden question. “Yeah, I would like some. Thank you.” She continued to watch him as he opened up a strange metal door and inside was… everything; eggs, cheeses, meats, and multiple containers of different kind of drinks. “what is that thing?”

Tensei turned in confusion to her. “What is what?” He took note of her staring passed him to the thing behind him. “This? Uhh, you mean the fridge?”

“Yeah. You keep all of your food in that thing?”

“No, just things that need… Wait you have never seen a fridge before?” he watched her shake her head and felt his own mouth drop slightly. “You really don’t know anything about this place, do you?”

Embarrassed, Katara just rubbed the back of her head. Tensei shook his head and poured a glass of apple juice for her. “Things just get stranger with you, Katara.”

She shot him a small glare. “Hey I’ve been here for like three hours. I haven’t had much time to learn anything.”

“I mean I have an entire list of encyclopedias you can go through in my office. That is bound to help you pick up plenty of things you are curious on.” he paused and walked over with the glass in hand. “I’ll be going back into work tomorrow, so you are welcome to use them If you want.”

Smiling, Katara took the juice from him. “I really appreciate it. Thank you.” She brought the juice up and took a sip. Her eyes bugged out from the amazing flavor, pulling it back and eyeing it like it was gold. “Wow, this is really good! You made this yourself?”

“Haha! I wish I could made juice. No I bought this.”

“You can buy things like this? Wow, what else can you-

The sudden knocking on the entry door caught both of their attentions.

“Tensei, are you in there? I didn’t hear you come home.”

The new voice was male, and sounded stern yet young at the same time. “Who is that?” Katara questioned.

“Oh don’t worry. That is my brother that I told you about.” Tensei walked passed her and opened up the door.

“Your brother?” Katara watched as the door slid open to reveal a teenager possibly around her own age. What caught her off guard was that he looked remarkably like Tensei, only slightly shorter and with glasses in front of his eyes. She kept her eyes on him as he… seemingly talked with his hands.

“Brother, I didn’t know you were home until I saw your boots by the door. Why didn’t you come and alert me?”

“Sorry Tenya, I didn’t know anyone else was home. We came in and didn’t see anyone else here at the moment.”

The boy Tenya leaned back to his brothers answer. “We? You are with someone else?”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry. Where are my manners.” Tensei stepped out of the way and let the two teens see the other. “Katara, this is my little brother Tenya.”

Tenya walked forward through the room and came to face the young waterbender. “Greetings Katara, I am Tenya Lida. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

Katara stifled a giggle to how proper he spoke and nodded back to him. “Hello, nice to meet you too.”

“It is not often my brother brings his sidekicks home to discuss their progress. How long have you been working for him?”

“Work? Oh no, I’m not a sidekick. I just met your brother today, actually.”

“What? You are not working for him?” Tenya stepped back and placed his hand on his chin. “You do not work for him, and yet you are here at his place. That means…” His eyes shot open when his mind came to a conclusion. “Brother, how could you do something so despicable!?”

“Uhh what?” Katara watched in utter confusion as the younger brother stormed back towards his sibling. “Did I miss something?”

Tenya walked right up to his big brother karate chopping the air. “Brother, I cannot believe you would stoop to this level! You can’t be serious at this moment!”

“Easy Tenya, what are you trying to imply that…” Tensei’s mouth dropped when he understood what was going on. “Oh you have got to be kidding me. Come on, you know me better than that!”

Katara was at a total loss what was going on, so she figured she might as well enjoy the juice while they argued over something.

“I understand you haven’t dated in a while, Tensei, but she is far too young to be your girlfriend!”

PFFFFT!

Katara’s mouthful of juice sprayed out all over the room when she heard that statement. “WHAT- *cough* WHAT THE HELL!?”

Tensei face palmed to his brother’s bluntness. “Good god, Tenya… I don’t know where you get these ideas from.”

* * *

After the awkwardness went away (although it never really did), the three of them sat and ate the ramen together while explaining the situation to each other. The story of her being an exchange student ended up being enough for the straightforward Tenya to accept and left it at that.

“Well I must say I am terribly sorry for the off handed statement I made to the both of you.” Tenya stood up and whipped his body into a deep bow. “Please accept this apology!”

“It’s… it’s okay. It must be odd to see your brother with a young girl in his place all of the sudden.” Katara responded.

“Yeah, but how about you whisper your concern to me before blurting it out next time, alright?” Tensei glared at his sibling.

“Absolutely. I will try better next time.” Tenya stood back up and smiled. “So Katara, how long do you plan to be here for your transfer study?”

She sat there for a few seconds, not sure how she was supposed to answer that before Tensei stepped in. “We are allowing her to stay as long as she needs to until she is ready to go back home.” His eyes met hers and gave her a silent wink. She smiled and nodded to his answer.

“Y-yeah. Your brother is very kind for offering this to me. I hope to learn a lot.”

Tenya raised his eyebrow but nodded in approval. “well I hope you enjoy your stay. And if you ever need anything, I am here to help as well.”

“Thank you, Tenya. I appreciate it.” Katara smiled, but then noticed the awkward look on his face when she said that. “What’s wrong?”

“well, it is proper to call a person by their family name unless you are very close to them.”

She blushed in embarrasment and rubbed her head. “Oh, I didn’t know that. Sorry. Thank you, Lida.”

Tenya nodded his head in approval. “It is no problem. Well, it is late, so I shall leave you two on your own. Have a goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” the two others said in unison.

After he left and closed the door behind him, Tensei rubbed his temples and laughed. Sorry about my brother. He is quite the character sometimes.”

“Oh trust me, I know exactly what you mean. I could go on for days about the things my brother has done.” Katara chuckled with him as they sat there.

“Yeah, but he really is a good kid. So smart, and extremely talented too. He is already more advanced with his quirk than I was at his age.”

“what kind of power does he have?”

He actually has the same quirk that I do; engine. The difference is that mine are in my arms and his come out of his calves.”

“Really?” Katara couldn’t tell due to the pants he was wearing. “Huh, that is really interesting.”

Tensei yawned and glanced over to the clock on the wall. “Wow, I didn’t realize it was already 9:30. I need to get to sleep soon. Come on, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Oh, alright then.” Katara stood up and followed him out of the kitchen towards the center open door of three along the wall. The room was lined floor to ceiling with books on nearly all sides and a desk to the right.

Tensei pointed in here as he continued speaking. “This is the office I told you about. You can use the books if you want to, but please don’t mess with the desk and the papers. I have a few cases I’m working on.”

Katara nodded to his request. “Sure, I’ll remember that.”

“Alrighty then. Now over here…” He shimmied passed her to the door on the right, “This will be your bedroom.”

Katara walked into a decent sized bedroom with a bed, a night stand and a large cabinet with a mirror. She also noticed that the room had a doorway leading to another room, but it was dark and couldn’t see much inside of it. She assumed it was a bathroom due to the sink she could see in the very faint light. “So, do you have some candles I can use for light?”

“Uhh, or you can use the light switch?” Tensei sighed and pointed to the white button on the wall.

“The what?” She eyed it for a few moments before reaching her hand and pushing it down. The next moment the lights above her flipped on, causing her to jump back a step. She stared at the bright bulbs in awe to how they glowed, reminding her of the crystal caverns under Ba Sing Se. This however was as if you took a lantern’s light but removed the flame from it. It was so amazing, and yet for this place it was something so simple.

She had a lot to learn.

“If you want to wash off, I can get you some clothes you can borrow for the night. They won’t fit, but they are clean at least. I can take you shopping over the next few days for your own things.” Tensei said as he made his way out of the room.

Katara sat in disbelief to how generous he was. “Thank you.”

Tensei simply waved his hand. “Nah, it’s just some clothes. I’ll put them on the bed after you get in the bathroom. Have a goodnight.”

Katara watched him walk out of the room and out of sight around the corner, leaving the young waterbender alone in her room. “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 3 is here now! i will be continuing to upload here for everyone. thank you! like and comment for more!


	4. First Nights are always the worst

Once inside the bathroom, Katara leaned on the counter and stared at herself for what seemed to be minutes before she even blinked. “How in the world did I end up in a place like this?” She muttered to herself. She turned to the tub and then realized she should have asked him probably the most important question of the night.

“Crap, how do I work this thing!?”

She stared at the silver faucet and handle trying to make her best guess to how the worked. She could see the plug obviously went to the drain. Step one one. Now she looked to the handle and gave it a partial turn, immediately followed by water draining out of the bottom. “Okay, so that works at least.” Her hand felt the water and shivered slightly at the touch. “Okay, so… maybe I have to turn more to get it warmer.”

Deciding to pull it all the way, the water rushed out faster and began to release humidity as it poured. She smiled seeing she was right. “Perfect. I guess that wasn’t so hard.”

Katara stood back up and began removing her blue robes and setting them on the counter top. She could smell the slight odor seeping from the cloths and scrunched her face in embarrassment. “Jeez, I hope they didn’t smell me when we were eating dinner earlier.” sighing, she continued to remove the white bra and leggings she wore underneath until she was finally free. She was never one who reveled in being without clothes, but she had to admit it did feel good to be out every once in a while.

She opened up the cabinets underneath the sink and found a few towels sitting there. “Well at least I don’t need to drip dry.” her eyes then noticed the thick layer of steam that began forming in front of her eyes. “What the…” she looked back to the tub and saw the water was near the top filled with scolding water. “Crap. I guess I made the water too hot.”

She quickly shut off the faucet and touched the surface, yanking back from the intense heat. “Yeah, definitely too hot.” Luckily for her, she had the perfect fix for that.

Placing her hands towards the water, Katara blew out a cool gust of mist from her mouth creating a stream of ice crystals. The cold air spread across the surface, a slight sizzling sound erupting from the top as its temperature dropped. After a few moments, she stuck her finger back in and smiled when it was just perfect for her. Stepping in, she let out a satisfied moan as the warm water enveloped her body. “Now this is exactly what I needed.”

Feeling the knots and aches in her body melt away, Katara leaned her head back against the tub wall and stared up at the ceiling. She sat in silence for probably ten minutes, her nerves and body still slightly on edge to this strange place she was in. She was eternally grateful for having someone kind like Tensei help her, but she still had the entire problem that this was not her home and would somehow have to make her way back.

Her mind began replaying the events of the last few hours in her mind over and over again; Just earlier she was with Aang chasing firebenders through the woods. She came across an enraged spirit and somehow ended up in this place, one that was so different than the one she knew. And to make it worse they had no knowledge of the place she came from, which meant finding a way back would be even harder for her. She could always look for a library around here and… “Wait.”

She sat up from the water and remembered the books that Tensei had shown her before she came in here. “I can look through those books and see if there is anything similar between our worlds!”

She began draining the water from the tub and grabbed the towel. Drying herself off vigorously, she wrapped herself up and opened up the door to the bedroom and was met with the sight of some clothes on the bed. She smiled and lifted up the over sized white shirt and shrugged. “It would be odd If he had clothes my size already. Can’t be helped.”

Slipping the shirt over her body, she chuckled seeing it hang on her like a dress. She then pulled on the baggy blue sweatpants and threw the towel back into the bathroom. She opened up the door back to the main living room and turned towards the office. Before she entered she could hear the light snore coming from the end room, obviously being Tensei’s room. She made sure not to be loud and entered the center door. At first she was annoyed by the darkness, but then remembered the bathroom and felt on the wall until she found the switch and flipped it on. She grinned when the lights flicked on and lit up the place, allowing her full access to the large collection of books.

“Alright. Where to start…” she muttered as her eyes ran along the many titles he had. “I am sure glad I ended up in a place with the same language.” She joked as her eyes came to the encyclopedia books he mentioned. “This should have what I need. Okay… A… E… F… S… W.”

She grabbed the matching book to each letter she mentioned, hoping in someway she could find traces of her home. He carried the five books over to the spare desk in the corner and sat in the chair. Opening up A first, she skimmed through the pages to the area she needed. “Okay. Air… Air. Air nomads. Anything.” She murmured as she came to the “Air” section. Her eyes scanned up and down the list of different terms.

Air blast Quirk.

Air Blow Quirk.

Air walk Quirk.

Her finger stopped scanning when she reached the words with “AJ”. Her heart felt a slight ache when she found nothing about Airbending, Air nomad monks or air temples. “M-Maybe this book isn’t updated.” She tried to convince her self as she moved the A book out of the way and opened the E. She flipped through until she came to the earth section. She looked back and forth, trying to find anything from earthbending to earth kingdom. But the closet she could find were different earth quirks that didn’t sound anything like bending. Her heart began to beat faster as she once again didn’t find anything referencing the earth kingdom or any of the cities.

She slipped the book aside and flipped open the next one. “If there was anything about the fire nation’s history there is no way that would be ignored.” Katara sped through the book until she reached fire. Her eyes grazed over every term of fire quirk, trying to find anything similar to what she knew about firebending. She could see so many terms and names describing what they could do.

fire manipulation.

Fire creation.

Fire resistance.

Fire breathing.

"So many things. If they were firebenders they would definitely say something like that." Her worry began to increase as she looked further in the book to find anything about the fire nation. The fire nation attacks, or even the term fire lord. And yet after several passes, she came up with not a single thing relating to her search. Her finger stopped scrolling down the pages as she finally passed fire.

"No, there... there can't be nothing." She worringly said as she snatched up the s book and flipped back until she reached what she hoped would be the best chance of hope.

"Spirits. Spirits... spir-"

Her heart felt like it stopped when she read the one word after spirits.

Folklore.

Sweat started dripping down her forehead as she shakingly held the book. Spirits in this world were only legends and fairytales. They were not real. That means... they do not exist here. Her thoughts came to the realization that was always in the back of her mind and yet she tried desperately to ignore. The fear that she was feeling when she saw the changed world and felt so out of place.

There was nothing regarding anything to her home world.

Katara sat in utter silence to the pain she began to feel inside her chest. Her breath came in shallow gasps and she stumbled out of the chair to lean her back against the wall. She slid down to the floor as her knees pulled up into her chest to try and comfort herself, but it just made her feel more secluded and alone. She didn’t even bother to try searching for waterbending or spirits, for she knew what the answer would be. Her bottom jaw began to tremble as emotions she was trying to hold back were beginning to make their way to the surface and reveal themselves. Images of people important in her life began flashing by, reminding her of the pain she was being tormented with.

“Sokka. Dad. Aang. Toph. Zuko. Suki. Gran-Gran. All of you…” Vision began to blur as tears started to flow outward. “I never even got to say goodbye to anyone. And now…”

She brought a hand to her mouth as her breaths became ragged, sniffling with every gasp. “...I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see you again. I- I’m sorry.”

Her dad, grandmother and brother would hear from Aang what had happened to her, thinking the worst that she was dead. Then there was the many great friends she had made over the course of her adventures, lifelong bonds she would not ever have broken were now severed instantly. And then there was Aang. Her tears flowed freely when she thought of the Avatar.  
  


It was he who started her on the grand adventure she had experienced over the last seven months of her life. He who pushed her to join him to the north pole to master her bending, and aided him through his battles with the fire nation. He was always there for her when she needed it, and she would have been there as well. And then… he had revealed his feelings to her.

Her eyes clenched shut when she remembered him kiss her before the invasion, instantly telling her that he truly thought of her as more than a friend. He then tried to tell her during their stay on Ember island, revealing to her he always loved her. And what bothered her most was the fact when he revealed this to her, the secret burning inside of his chest since the day he met her, she chose to say the only thing that could come to her mind at the time.

That she was confused.

Katara gritted her teeth in frustration thinking about what she had said. Her best friend revealed how he had felt, and she had shot him down because of the fear in her heart that she was afraid to admit to him and even to herself; that she may not have loved him back. And now, he would be stuck in limbo because he would never be able to find out from her the truth. All she could do now was be reminded of her mistake, gripping her legs tight and bury her face into her knees and weep.

“I am sorry. I’m so sorry, Aang.”

Katara continued to cry for what felt like an hour, unable to get up from her position. The only reason she slowed down was the fact she was running out of tears to cry. Her breathing began to stabilize and her nerves leveled out as she laid her head back against the wall behind her. She stared up at the blank ceiling, her mind slowly beginning to take in the fact that she was in a new place and time different from where she came from, and as far as she knew at this point, perhaps this is where she was going to have to live.

“ _When you’re a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive.”_

The words of another bender she hoped to forget reappeared inside her head, bringing a frustrated grimace to her face. “Not even your situation was to this level, Hama.” She sneered to the demon from her past.

Realizing to where her search had led, Katara forced her self off the ground and turned to leave the room before stopping herself. She wanted to go back to the bed in the room she was given and curl up in the dark. All she felt like doing was sit alone and try to get some rest for herself. At this point however, her nerves were on such a high from her situation she knew there was no way to fall asleep. She would be laying there for hours just being reminded of the pain she just stopped crying from. The only way to keep herself from losing it again would be to have something to distract her with. Turning back around, her eyes met the books still sitting open on the desk.

“If I am up, I might as well…” She sighed to herself and walked back over, gathering them up and restacking them. She stepped to the shelf and pulled out the book with a “Q” on the spine and brought it to the countertop along with the others.

“Perhaps someday I may find out a way back home…” She muttered out loud while flipping it open. “Until then… This is where I will be, so I should know everything I can.”

She skimmed through the pages until she reached the section she had been curious on since the moment she heard the words. Perhaps the most important and common thing she was going to experience here and should know what she could about it. Once she found it, she took a deep and began.”

“So, what is a quirk...”

And so she began her research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, sorry i had to make anyone sad, but it was a necessary tonal shift. and other chapters will be much longer than this don't worry.
> 
> remember, if you would rather follow this on fanfiction, it is on there as well further ahead until i catch up uploading it here.  
>  Till next time!


	5. Starting Line

The alarm next to Tensei’s bed stirred him up from his slumber. He forced his eyes open and mumbled to himself. “Ugh, I don’t know why I set it so early this morning. I don’t have much set for the day.” He rolled over to slap the alarm off and stared at the time. “it’s only six. Great job, Tensei.”

He rubbed his face for a few seconds to wake himself up, huffing out and sitting upright. He walked out of his bed and slipped his shirt on over his body. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through his messages to look back to what he had sent last night to remind himself, seeing all he had planned was a day of paperwork he was slacking on lately. But now that he was up, he knew he couldn’t simply fall back asleep. “Might as well do some of that work now…” he sighed to himself and slipped on a pair of socks.

Walking out of his room, he made his way to the left and turned to open his office, but was confused when he saw the door open and the lights already on. “Huh? I know those were off last night and…” His voice slowly trailed off when he saw the sight before him, bringing a large grin to his face. “...Ah, I see.”

Katara was leaned over the side desk that he had in the room, multiple books spread out across the top of it. The young girl was face flat against one of the open encyclopedias, obviously exhaustion took over her body from reading. Her hanging hair was strewn out everywhere, some of it blowing in and out from her open mouth breathing. The sight of her in this position brought a chuckle to the turbo hero, walking over to the couch and grabbing a spare blanket and carrying it over to the young girl. He draped it over her shoulders and glanced to the pages she was reading before she passed out.

“What do we have here, huh?” He pulled one of the books up and raised an eyebrow. “Refrigerator… Hm, I see you weren’t joking last night.”

He set the book back down and walked out of the room to the kitchen. He pulled out a bowl from the cabinet and reached for the cereal as well. He was about to open it up before he sat and thought for a few moments. His eyes drifted back towards the office and he felt a little guilty having her stay here alone while he went into the agency for the day. If she really was new to this city, lifestyle and world, maybe leaving her alone her first day wouldn’t turn out the best.

“I’d come home, and she burned the place messing with the stove.” He shivered at the thought before picking his phone up and dialing it real quick. He waited a few moments before he heard it answer. “Yes, can you cancel my appointments for the day. Some stuff came up… family emergency? Uh… you can say something like that.”

He waited a few moments before nodding. “Perfect, I’ll see you Monday. Goodbye.”

He clicked it closed and smiled. “Well, since I am here too, might as well introduce her to them.”

* * *

Katara slowly felt her mind stirring awake, forcing her eyes to slide open. She mumbled to herself as she sat up from the desk and gave a small wince. “Ow!”

She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck and felt a tight kink. “Great, falling asleep like this wasn’t the best idea.” She grunted to herself and tried to stand up, shocked when she felt a blanket fall down from her back. “Huh?”

Looking down at it, she remembered she never put one on last night, meaning someone placed it on her at some point. A small smile crept on her face at the act, appreciating her host even more. A big yawn left her mouth and she stretched out her back feeling a few pops escape. Sighing in relief, she looked back down to the books before her and rubbed her head. “I guess I overdid it last night.”

Her mind began replaying the random assortment of things she attempted to take in the night before.

Cars.

Fridges.

Countries.

She lost count of how many things she read last night, and after a while they began to blur in a giant mess as her exhaustion crept up and took over her mind. Trying to learn as much as she could in one night was definitely far too much for her to process and understand, now knowing she should pace herself a bit better if she were to get a true feel of this place. She turned around and took notice of her water tribe robes folded on top of the main desk.

“Wait, how did those…?” Katara question stopped when she noticed a note on top of the clothes.

“ _Katara, I took the liberty of washing your clothes for you. I hope you don’t mind. I have guests you should meet and would look better with you in these than the ones I loaned you._

_Breakfast will be waiting for you.”_

While she was extremely grateful, Katara took note of what he had said halfway in the note. “Guests?” Her ears suddenly picked up light chatter on the other side of the now closed office door. She looked down to the baggy clothes she sported and felt her face grow a light red. “If his brother thought of dating last night, I don’t want to know what they think of me in his clothes.”

After a few minutes of stripping her current set off and redressing in her standard look, Katara gave a small huff of satisfaction being back to what she knew. She straightened her hair and took a breath before reaching for the handle. “Here goes nothing, I guess.”

Pushing it open, she was met with a wonderful aroma of scents from the kitchen. Her stomach immediately growled in anticipation to what it had coming its way, but then her eyes met not just Tensei, but two other adults in the kitchen with him all turning in unison to the new guest.

“Ah, so you are awake now…” Tensei smiled as he walked over towards her. “… I hope the desk wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”

Katara blushed and rubbed her head. “Sorry, I was reading and kinda lost track of time.”

“It’s okay, it happens to all of us. Come in, I’d like to introduce you.” He guided her over towards the other two there in his place. “Katara, these are my parents. Mom and Dad, this is Katara that I told you about.”

The two adults were around fifty or so, the man with short dark blue hair and a slight line of stubble on his chin. His mother had shoulder length hair of the same color, along with glasses over her eyes like her other son. Deciding to be polite, Katara smiled and gave a bow to the two of them. “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Iida.”

Mrs. Iida had a large smile on her face and walked forward. “Well it’s good to meet you too. Tensei didn’t tell me you were so pretty.”

“Really mom?” Tensei sighed as he saw Katara blush.

Miss Iida giggled at their embarrasment and waved her hand. “I’m just teasing you, Tensei. It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I am Madoka Iida, and this is my husband, Toki.”

Katara looked up to the older man and smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“The honor is all mine.” Toki answered with a grin. “I heard from Tenya that there was a new guest staying here and wanted to meet her.”

Katara sweat dropped at that statement. “He did now did he?”

‘ _Did he tell them he thought I was some new girl Tensei was dating?’_ she mentally moaned.

Luckily, the mother Madoka grabbed her husbands arm. “Oh come now, lets grab our food and not make her wait eating.”

As she watched the family gather food together, Katara felt a nice warmth flow over her body from the positive energy here. She followed them to the table and sat down across from Madoka. She was leaned back as Tensei came in and slid a glass of water and a plate of food in front of her. She looked down and felt her eyes widen in excitement. “Wow.”

The plate was loaded with several eggs, a few pieces of ham and what seemed to be chunks of potatoes grilled up and covered with seasoning. She felt her mouth water and her stomach growl as the wonderful scents reached her nose. She would have scarfed it down with her hands then and there if she was alone, the only thing stopping her was the his parents sitting there. Holding back her urges, she waited until Tensei delivered the other plates to his parents and sat down himself.

“So I didn’t know how you like your eggs. If you prefer a different style I can make you new ones.” He asked as he sat down in the chair between Katara and his mother.

“No no, these are perfect. Thank you.” Katara responded and grabbed the utensils next to her. She grabbed a few potato chunks and brought them up and took a bite. It took all of her will power to hold back the moan of pleasure she wanted to let out from the amazing taste. “This is really good!”

Tensei chuckled at her response. “I’m glad you enjoy it. I’ve always been a potato fan myself.”

The family ate quietly for the first two minutes as they enjoyed the breakfast before Madoka broke the silence. “So Katara. I hear you are here to study japanese culture.”

Katara finished chewing the eggs she had before responding. “Y-Yes, I was given the chance to come and experience Japan, so I took the opportunity.”

‘ _Okay, that answer is seeming to work.’_ Katara grinned internally as she took another bite.

Toki took a sip of coffee and nodded in agreement. “That is nice. So did you get to stay with my son?”

Katara froze mid bite. _‘Crap, we didn’t talk about that!’_

“It was through my agency actually…” Tensei interrupted, “… one of my associates was talking about a fundraising event to bring in people from outside Japan to come and experience life here. There was a mistake in her paperwork and she was stuck with no place to go. So I told him I could offer my service.”

“Really? Aww I’m sorry to hear that.” Madoka said.  
  


Katara simply brought the water up and took a sip. “Mhm…” She mumbled, trying to hide her awkward glances. _‘Nice save, I was screwed there!’_

Toki accepted the story and smiled. “Wow Tensei, that is very kind of you. You have always been sp generous with others.”

“It’s the least I can do, father…” Tensei answered. “I learned this from you both.”

His mother couldn’t help but smile to the compliment. “Aww thank you sweetie. So, Katara, what have you liked so far about your stay in Japan?”

Finishing her plate, Katara sat up and wiped her mouth. “It’s only been a day, but I am really surprised by how different it is than my village.”

“Oh, how so?”

“Well, it is much more different than any cities I have been to, and I am very shocked by the quirks here.”

Both parents gave questionable looks to what she said. “What do you mean?”

Katara suddenly felt her neck sweat, thinking she shouldn’t have opened up this conversation. She however kept her cool and decided to go with it. “You see, uhh.. where I’m from we only really have ben- I mean quirks that involve elements like water, earth or fire. We don’t have quirks like your son’s.”

Toki sat back curiously to this. “That is very interesting. What is your quirk?”

Sitting silently for a few moments, Katara decided the best way to play along was to demonstrate. “Well, my quirk is waterbending.” She placed her hand above the glass and lifted it, pulling the water out of the cup in a single fluid stream that began flowing through her open fingers. “I can manipulate water and control it however I want.”

“Oh, I see. That is a very nice quirk.” Toki watched as the water flowed through her hand like a graceful snake. “It seems you have great control of it as well, you must have trained a lot.”

“Yeah… you can say that.” Katara nodded as she placed the water back into her cup, deciding not to go in depth what she could really do with her power.

“And I must say, Katara, I love your outfit you have on.” Madoka said as she leaned in looking towards the young girl. “Tell me, is this from your village?”

“Oh, this?” Katara looked down to her robes. “Yes, this came from my home.”

“Oh I love the colors! They are so pretty! It makes me want to see what other designs you brought.”

Katara felt extremely awkward at the request, once again having to think on the spot. “Oh… uh funny thing. I… lost my clothes on the train ride here. Hehe.”

Madoka’s mouth dropped at hearing the situation. “You lost your luggage!? That’s terrible!” She quickly stood up and marched over to the waterbender and placed her hands on her shoulders. “You can’t be here without anything else to wear. Let’s go.”

Now the gears were cranking in Katara’s head as the elder woman gripped her shoulders. “Uhhhhhh… go where?”

“We are taking you shopping!”

Tensei sat frozen mid bite as he stared at his mother. “Crap…”

* * *

Katara really couldn’t tell what was more awkward.

First, there was the situation that they were told by the chief that they were supposed to lay low after the entire predicament she caused when she came here. Damage, disturbing the peace, and using a quirk (well technically bending) without a license were all charges that he was allowing to push aside due to her unforeseen arrival. They didn’t want to cause any more problems until they were settled. Not to mention the fact an enraged Endeavor might have just burnt her to a crisp if she ran into him on the street again.

Second, there was getting into the car. Not that she had never been inside of a moving metal vehicle before, in fact she had been in multiple different kind of machines in the last year. And yet getting into this small… Sushuki? Suzuka? Whatever they called it, and it’s open windows exposing her to everything outside just felt odd. And she had to put this strange belt over her body, locking her in place and the rubbing against her neck irritated her.

And then third… was Tensei’s mother.

“Ohh this is going to be so fun! I have always had to shop for two boys! I always wanted to take a girl to get new outfits! Eeeeeeeeee!”

Tensei just rubbed his temple as he sat next to his mother while she drove them down the road. He didn’t want to take Katara outside, but he knew if he tried to dissuade her she would have got suspicious. All he could do was go along with the two of them and keep an eye on her.

“So, there are several places I know you must go to if you need a new wardrobe set!” Madoka continued on her excited tangent as merged down the road. “We need shirts, obviously for day to day use. Then shoes. And dresses. Ohhh, a beautiful blue one for you! OHH! I know the perfect store! And then-

“Uhh, I think I just new things…” Katara attempted to calm down the eccentric woman in the front, but she obviously had other plans.

“Oh darling, please! You are to experience a new place from your village, yes? Than you will experience what we have to offer! There is a wonderful place that has great jackets and wondrous designs you will adore!”

The excited mom continued as Katara shook her head. She glanced outside the window as she took in the many passing buildings. Now that it was the day, everything looked so different to her from before. The dazzling lights from the night were gone, leaving her to take in the structures for what they were. She stared at the people passing by, all of them so different from everyone else. Her mind began imagining new powers that some of them may have had. She saw a man with a bush for a head. Did he grow leaves? Or fruit?

“Quirks are something else.” She whispered under her breath.

“Aaand here we are!” Madoka cheered as she pulled into the desired parking lot.

Katara snapped out of her thoughts as she looked ahead to see an immense shopping center spreading out across the size of what she guessed was the entire northern water tribe. She sat in awe at the sheer mass of the place, not believing there was a way this place simply sold things.

“This is where you go shopping!? How is one store this big!?”

“Oh no no no!” Madoka giggled at her question. “There are many stores here in this mall. Come on, lets get to it!” she quickly unbuckled and seemingly danced her way out of the car, leaving the other two in awkward silence.

Twiddling her thumbs, Katara looked to her host and blew out her mouth. “Sooooo… we should get now, right?”

Tensei sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Yes, lets do this. Just… don’t go wandering off, promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Nodding, both got out of the car and caught up to the giddy mother walking up the steps.

Once up the stairs, Katara’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor when her eyes set sight on the monstrous mall. Multiple floors stacked on top of each other, each one packed with stores of every variety of things she could imagine. Along with the immense number of stores were the droves of people walking through the center. It felt like Ba Sing Se all over again for the young waterbender.

“This… place is enormous. This is where all of your stores are?”

Tensei gave a small shrug. “Well… for this mall, yes.”

Her eyes bugged out of her head hearing that. “How… many malls do you ha- Wha, hey!?”

“Come on, miss! So much to do today!” Madoka excitingly pulled Katara by her wrist towards the first stop on her list. “Let’s start with the basics!”

As she was tugged along, Katara simply moaned and let the woman lead her. “Well, it can’t be that bad, can’t it?”

* * *

“So, how do you like them?” Madoka wiggled back and forth in anticipation as she waited for the young girl outside the changing room.

“Uhhhh, I’m not sure. It seems… fitting.” Katara awkwardly answered from behind the door.

“Oh come out, let me see!” the happy mother watched as the door opened up and revealed the waterbender, earning an exasperated gasp from the blue haired woman. “Oh. My. Gosh, You are gorgeous!”

Katara was in a blue crop top revealing the lower half of her tanned abs. She wasn’t bothered by that part, but felt covered and yet very exposed with the tight leggings she had on. “Ehh… this goes under other things, right?”

“Well you can yes. But many wear just those. And you have the shape to show off, darling!” the giddy mother gave a big wink to her.

“Just these?” Katara turned to the side and felt her face burn red when she saw every curve of her lower half in the mirror. “Yeah… that is NOT happening!”

* * *

“You sure these are what people wear here?” Katara questioned as she eyed the giant round sun hat in her hands. She placed it on top of her head and frowned when the large bill drooped in front of her face.

“Well this is for special occasions!”

“Special for what? Being blind?” Her mind suddenly smacked herself. ‘Sorry Toph.’

* * *

“OHH! Those are perfect for you!”

Trying to stand up in the skinny stilettos was already hard enough for Katara, but moving in them were another story. “These are… woah!” her ankles wobbled between steps as she tried to balance on the tiny spike under her heel. “How are people supposed to-AHH!”

SNAP!

Madoka winced as she watched the girl fall sideways and the bottom of the shoe break off. “Yeah… maybe a shorter size for your first time.” She quickly glanced around seeing they weren’t being watched. “Just put those away quickly and lets hit another store.”

* * *

After nearly three hours of shopping, Katara had to admit she was actually enjoying herself more than she expected. She was now wearing a gray t-shirt and blue shorts along with new footwear. Sure there were stores she wished she could have skipped (She was never a fan of fancy shoes) but she was blown away by some of the things that were here. Sure the basics like shirts and shorts were picked out, along with other things she was familiar with like sandals for basic use around when she was relaxing. But there were several things that she discovered that blew her mind.

The first thing were the type of pants called Jeans. The strange material seemed like it would be rough to her legs, but they were surprisingly comfortable once they hugged her legs. She wanted only one, but her host was adamant that she grabbed others to change colors. Blue of course, but then black and tan to go with other shirts she bought. The wasn’t too big of a fan of the short skirts or leggings, but of course Madoka had to grab a few of each for her.

Another thing she was taken back by were the strange shoes in this world called sneakers. The strange rubbery shoes were incredibly soft and gave amazing cushion to her soles that it felt like she was walking on a pillow. She loved one of these green pairs she found so much, she almost didn’t want to take them off out of the store. She then figured she was already in new clothes so she decided why not wear new shoes to go with them too. Wearing them out, along with the two other pairs chosen, she assumed they were done with their day.

Looking down, Katara now counted four bags in her hands as they walked through the center of the mall. “Wow, I didn’t realize how many things we got.”  
  


“I know, isn’t this so fun!?” Madoka cheered as she wiggled in glee. “After shopping for Tensei and Tenya for so long, I never knew helping a young girl shop would be so fun!”

Katara suddenly remembered the one she originally came with, turning around to see Tensei carrying most of the shopping bags and boxes with a giant frown on his face. Evidently being the pack mule for the ladies wasn’t what he thought fun was.

“Ohh yes. Jolly fun time.” He sighed as he trotted along.

Seeing him flustered made Katara giggle. She couldn’t believe the situation she had found herself in. Just the night before she was thrown into this strange world with nothing but the clothes on her back and no place to go. And now, she was here with several new people offering her everything she needed and more. There was no way to describe how much this meant to her, the happy feelings it brought up inside her chest, she didn’t even realize the haziness forming in her vision.

“Katara?”

“Huh? What?” She snapped out of her thoughts to Tensei’s voice and noticed both him and his mother staring at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, we should be asking you that…” he asked with a hint of worry.

Before she could say anything, the feeling of a tear rolling down her cheek gave her the answer she was looking for. She reached up and wiped away the wet streaks from her face and smiled. “I’m alright. It’s just…. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing for me. You are giving me much more than I need.”

Madoka clenched her chest hearing that. “Aww, sweetie… you don’t need to feel bad, This is the least we can do to help you.”

“Yes, but I feel really bad. I promise I can pay you back for this stuff and-

“You won’t be needing to do that…” Tensei walked up to her, his face warm and caring. “I told you I’d help you with your situation, and I am happy to do this for you. You don’t need to pay a thing right now.”

Drying the rest of her face off, Katara nodded to both of them and smiled. Happy with what she had done, Madoka decided to call their shopping spree. “Well perhaps that is good for your first mall trip. Perhaps we could head back and get home now.”

Katara gave a small nod in approval as Tensei adjusted his many boxes he carried.

‘ _Thank god… moms finally done shopping.’_ he yelled internally.

* * *

The car ride home was surprisingly quiet compared to the drive over. Katara stared out to the blue sky as they cruised down the road. Her mind drifted calmly as she listened to the music that came out of the doors around her. She had no idea how it worked, but somehow there was music being played with no band around and yet it sounded right there. The guitar strings plucked reverberated around her, almost as if the band was directly in front of her. She would eventually ask what this was, but at the moment it felt good to just relax and listen.

After they pulled into the driveway, the trio unloaded the bags and boxes of clothes and carried them up the steps. After getting them into the house they walking them to Tensei’s place, they dropped them all off into her room. As they walked back towards the car for the remaining bags, Katara’s eyes wandered into one of the rooms she had passed the night before. She couldn’t help but stare inside at the strange metal room. Her legs seemed to move on their own as she was drawn into it before a hand fell onto her shoulder making her gasp. She looked up and saw Tensei standing behind her. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be going into other rooms without your permission.”

To her surprise he just looked down to her. “So you took notice of this room, huh?”

She was confused by his statement as he walked by her into the strange room, signaling her to follow. She was hesitant at first, but decided to stay with him and entered. The entire room was a light blue color but almost entirely made of metal several work benches were lined against the sides of the wall littered with pieces of metal fragments ranging in all shapes and sizes. And on one of the tables she noticed something very familiar to her from the night before, walking up to it and staring intensely at it.

“Is that… your armor?”

Tensei nodded and walked over to the disasembled set of pieces set in front of the waterbender. “I needed a few adjustments to the joints in the shoulders, so I take it here. This Is where the family keeps their hero costumes.”

Katara couldn’t help but notice several large patch spots under the chest portion where the ribs sit. She reached out and ran her hand over the area, feeling where there were deep gashes from before. “So something nearly cut through, didn’t it?”

Tensei raised an eyebrow in surprise at her guess. “Yeah, a villain with a scythe quirk almost got to the skin a year back. How could you tell?”

“I’ve seen my share of repaired armor in the past.”

He couldn’t help but get a small shiver when she responded so naturally with that statement, Last night she had told him about her home being ravaged by war. Judging by how easily she came to that assumption meant she must have been telling the truth. Before he could say anything, she continued.

“So you’re job is to go out and save people from others who try to hurt others, right?” She asked, the tone in her voice different from before.

“Not every time, but there are times when there are people who want to hurt others using their quirks. That is why there are those like me who do what they can to help others. Those are heroes.”

Katara took her hand off the armor and looked down to her own hand, thinking back to what he told her the night before. “You said what I did last night when I tried to save that boy… that I reminded you of what a real hero would do. But I just did what was right.”

“You seem to have a good heart, and I respect that. But unfortunately here, the government requires those who want to use their powers to get a license to use them for use against others.” He picked up his helmet and brushed off the dust. “That is why the police chief was so upset when you used your ability in the public like that.”

She clenched her fist and remembered the many times she heard how the fire nation would restrict the bending of the villages they conquered. While this place obviously was not as bad, she felt annoyed that people didn’t have the freedom to defend themselves if they needed to. She almost felt… responsible wanting to be there to help others if she could.

“Hello, I’m home!”

The two of them in the workshop turned to see Tenya standing in the doorway in his black school uniform. Tensei raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Tenya? Why are you back from school?”

“The school had a water break in the main building, so classes were cancelled for the day.” Tenya responded with his usual stiff movements. He noticed Katara standing there. “Oh, Katara, hello! I see you here with my brother as well.”

Katara gave a nod his direction. “Yes, him and your mother took me to the mall to get clothes since I lost my other ones.”

‘ _This lie is coming pretty natural.’_ she mumbled internally.

“Well that is wondrous you have new things now! I am pleased that they helped you!” Tenya happily exclaimed and gave a small bow. “Well I shall leave you and cease my disturbance to finish my studying.”

Tensei suddenly came up with an idea and grinned. “Hey Tenya, how about you take Katara with you and let her study as well.”

“Huh?” Katara looked up to him in confusion. “study?”

“Brother, that is a wonderful idea.” Tenya answered excitingly. “you said you wanted to learn about Japan, and I would be honored to help you study new things!”

At first Katara was very hesitant at the offer, but realized if she was to learn anything of this place, help would be amazing. Trying to read and figure everything out herself was an option, but would probably take so much longer than having someone to be her teacher. Perhaps this was actually a great idea.

“That would be amazing, Thank you.” she said with a large smile.

“Excellent, if you would like, we can go outside and study by the pool. Fresh air always helps with the mind.”

“Pool?” Katara asked before she frowned, realizing why their mom kept insisting they go to the swimwear store.

As they walked out of the room together, Tensei couldn’t help but smile. He walked over to the printer on the desk and lifted up the two sheets he made earlier. “Tenya, you already have your mind set on what you want to do and who you will become.” He paused as he read the UA high school application for his brother before flipping to the second page; another application sheet that had a blank name spot.

“As for you Katara, I can see you have interest and the drive to do what is right. I however won’t say anything. If you want to become a hero, you must make that choice yourself.”

* * *

Through the back hall of the house, Katara stared at the large indoor pool with a small sparkle in her eye. She just felt good having a large source of water close by as she sat at the patio set near the edge. She looked over to Iida as he quickly set his books on the table, giggling as he already had a giant grin on his face.

"So Katara, today I am learning the fundamentals of economics of Japanese history. I shall happily help you get this subject figured out!"

"Uhh… sure. Sounds fun." She answered with sarcasm as she grabbed the sheet Iida handed her.

While she didn't understand a word about what he was studying, she knew she would have to learn anything and everything she could about this place. She smiled and grabbed the pen and leaned down towards the page in front of her.

"Let's do this."

* * *

"Studying Sucks."

Katara mumbled as she fell onto her bed late that evening. Her brain felt like it was pulsing in her head from the overload of information she was trying to cram into one day. Not to mention Tenya was not a slow teacher for her.

"He acts like this stuff is as basic as breathing." She chuckled to herself and rubbed her forehead.

She looked out the window to the dark sky, noting how the sun had already been down for several hours. After Tenya said he needed to go to sleep for school the next day, she ran into his parents who were going out for a date together. Tensei also mentioned that he was going to be working in the office doing work the rest of the night. She figured she would just go back to the room and try to sleep. On the bed however, her mind was racing so fast there was no way she was going to be able to relax for sometime.

"And now I'm here alone and can't sleep." She sighed to herself as she sat back up. She needed to do something relaxing to calm her mind, something she was more comfortable with than anything at the moment. She needed water.

Thinking back to earlier, she walked out of her room and looked over and noticed Tensei deep in thought on his desk. His face was buried in the paperwork stacked on top, not noticing her peeking inside. Not wanting to bother him, Katara made her way to the entry door and silently pushed it open. She closed it behind her and walked through the empty home back towards where she was earlier. Once inside the pool room, she gave a small smile at the sight of the dark water sitting still in front of her. The light from the moon illuminated the surface, casting beautiful reflections across the ceiling of the dark room.

Katara took her shoes off and sat on the edge of the water, letting her feet fall into the refreshing pool. Just three seconds in and her mind already ceased its throbbing sensation she had been experiencing. "Now I would just sleep in here if I could." She chuckled to herself.

She kicked her feet several times , letting the water splash out and make little waves. Her hand reached out and bended up a small ball of water. the wet orb gently spun in the air above her fingers, bringing a smile to Katara's face. Then, her mind clicked again.

"If I am here in the place, I do need a place to practice my bending." She said as she stood up. knowing she was alone at the moment, she knew it was the perfect time to do this. She reached her foot onto the water surface, but it didn't sink through. instead, the water pushed back up against her to support her weight. She slowly walked out the pools rippling surface until she was in the center. she stood still for several seconds, taking a deep breath before raising her hands from her sides and pulling up two streams of water with her.

Taking slow spins, she pulled the water around her body like two flowing paper streamers, not letting a single drop fall out of place. The columns of liquid crawled up her arms and slowly encased her shoulders as well, almost as if a large serpent sat on top of her body. she lowered her arms along with what she bended, the water reaching down and lifting herself above the surface. She hovered there for a few moments as her eyes stared at the ceiling, her mind finally at ease from before. Now she had truly made her decision.

She would continue to practice her bending here when she could, and she would learn the new ways of this world from her new friends here.

From here on out… this was her new starting line.


	6. To do the Right Thing

_The white snow blanketed the ground everywhere around her, slowly turning a dirty gray. The chunks of soot fell from above staining the ground. Fire flew through the sky, scorching the top of the southern village huts. A single young girl ran through the icy snow as she raced back home._

“ _Mom. Mom, where are you!?”_

_Katara weaved her way through the panicked villagers as they ran in all directions. The warriors ran passed her to engage the attackers while the others tried to find cover where they could. She however was trying to get back to her home to find who she was looking for._

“ _Mom! Mom!”_

_She saw her hut in sight, there was something else that sent a cold shiver up her body. Scorch marks on the blanket covering the entrance inside. Her heart racing, she rushed forward and pulled back the cover. She did find her mother, but she was not alone. She looked up into the cold eyes of a man, standing over._

“ _Mom...”_

* * *

“MOM!”

Katara burst up from her bed, panting as her heart raced inside her chest. She gripped her forehead in fear as she tried to calm her nerves. Even though the memory she experienced was from so many years ago, it still managed to surface from time to time. She was just grateful that it stopped before it got any further. After a few moments her breathing finally began to slow, taking in deep inhales to relax her tense body.

“It’s just a memory…” She whispered between breaths. “Just a dream.” Her eyes glanced over to the new clock she received by her bed, seeing It was already after Eight.

She reached down and grimaced at the shirt she was wearing, now damp from the nightmare she endured. Mumbling to herself, she crawled out of bed and looked around her room. The once barren walls were now lined with different posters of the ocean and of mount Fuji. Her body slowly moved over to the mirror above her dresser as she stared at herself for sometime, her hand coming up to her mothers necklace that she wore. She ran her finger across the gem as her eyes looked up and down herself, seeing that pendant was the only thing she had on that even reminded her of her old life.

“How time has changed, huh…”

It had been almost two months since she had suddenly appeared in Japan. Two months since her life got flipped upside down. She had spent six months of her life battling across the world she knew, fighting off firebenders and creatures most only dreamed of. From the south pole to the north, from Ba Sing Se to the fire nation capital, the entire world she had gone across in that matter of time.

And now, she had spent what felt like just as much time in one place completely new to her. And in terms of action; the most she had was all in the first night of her arrival. Now, her days of fighting were over and replaced with one that she never expected.

Studying.

She couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “I didn’t ever think books would be my thing I’d be focused most on.”

After changing her clothes, she walked out of her bedroom to the living room and looked around for her host. After a few moments she realized that Tensei was already gone, something she had become used to after a while. “Already to the office today.” She whispered to herself and sat down on the couch.

She rubbed her forehead and sighed, reaching down and grabbing the remote next to her and flipping on the Television. Of all the things she had discovered over the last few months, this was perhaps the oddest and yet the coolest thing yet. Although her first time trying it out… let’s just say it wasn’t the best.

* * *

_Tensei ran into the room as he heard her scream. “What’s wrong!?”_

_Katara was huddled behind the couch as she hid from the TV. “What is going there!? Th-the monsters are eating people!”_

_Tensei looked up to the screen and sighed in relief. “Oh no, don’t worry. It’s just a movie. It’s not real.”_

“ _What!? How, it is right there!”_

“ _It’s uhh… it is like a play they make for others to enjoy.”_

_She peeked around the couch to look at the bright screen again before yelping and hiding back behind. “What kind of play is this!? It’s horrible!”_

“ _Come on, it’s Jurassic park. That’s like my favorite movie.”_

* * *

Katara frowned at herself thinking how ridiculous she must have looked to him that day. After several explanations, she began to understand that people watched things on here like how they went to plays to enjoy a story. Once she finally could enjoy it normally, she probably didn’t leave the couch for three days burning through film after film. The shock and enjoyment she felt watching these new things kept her so invested she couldn’t stop. After a few days though her head began to actually become numb from staring so long at the bright colors. Realizing she couldn’t do that, she tried limiting herself to one or two films a day.

As she flipped the channels, she decided to skip a movie and see what was actually going on around the country. She was taught there were real stories, so the first two months it took multiple attempts to remember which channels showed just movies and which were real. She stopped when she came across the news reporting on a building burning in South Kyushu. Her body tensed up when she could see multiple people still stuck inside the upper floors unable to get out.

“ _As you can see, the fires have spread all throughout the lower floors of the office building, blocking off all exit routes.”_ the news reporter yelled out over the sirens screeching passed her in the background. _“If the fire department can’t get the flames out fast enough, I don’t know how long the people will last inside!”_

Katara clenched her fists as she watched helplessly as the flames crept higher and higher, smoke beginning to block out the view of the struggling people from above. “They have to get the fire out soon, or the smoke will get to them first!” She yelled to herself as she scooted closer. She watched in frustration as the fire trucks began spraying their hoses at the inferno, but she got even more mad when she watched the water splashing uselessly off the collapsed metal beams blocking most of the access points to the building.

“They are wasting all of that water. They need to…” She huffed out when she clutched her knees. “If I were there I could control the water to flow inside of there.”

Her eyes suddenly caught a blur shoot off through the frame behind the reporter, a gust of wind whipping by her and almost knocking her off balance. Katara watched intently as the newswoman caught herself and looked back up.

“ _Wait, it seems someone is… Look, there he is!”_

Katara stared as the camera turned to see multiple people being yanked out of the building by what looked like tiny, red feathers. Each small item carried an individual by their clothes out from the inferno down towards the street. The feathers all rushed back out of frame, the camera following them until they came upon a young blonde man in a tan jacket and red wings. In his arms he also held two other people as his wings slowed his descent. The fifteen year old water bender could not help but be amazed as she listened to the reporter gasp in shock.

“ _Amazing! The number three hero Hawks came in just the knick of time to save everyone instantly! He got all the civilians out of harms way before there were any casualties!”_

Watching the tv, Katara could hear the cheers of people as they all surrounded the young hero. She couldn’t help but smile herself as the pro dropped the people down and greeted all the fans rushing up to him. “I haven’t seen him much, but he has a pretty unique power.” she whispered to herself. The sudden knock on the door caught her attention and made her turn around.

“Just a second.” she yelled out as she made her way over and opened it up, raising her eyebrow to what was in front of her. “Uh, Iida, what are you wearing?”

Tenya Iida was standing there in a gray jacket and what appeared to be a pointy green hat with a white ball on the end. “Why this is a spring hat of course! It is February 21st, meaning winter is almost over and spring has come our way.”

She smirked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Well you sure are excited for the change of seasons I see.”

“It is such an important day…” Iida responded with his occasional air chop. “I am at odds how you have never heard of this from where you came from.”

Katara sighed and forced a fake chuckle. “Yeah, we were an isolated village.”

‘ _yeah, close enough.’_ she mumbled internally.

“Well, I want to make sure that you enjoy your first holiday change like the way we all do!” Iida stood proud and pointed to his chest. “I shall take you to the spring parade this evening!”

Hearing that actually did make her excited. “A parade? Yeah that sounds pretty cool. What time is it at?”

“it starts at five, but I was curious if you wanted to join me at our families training facility to do some quirk training before.”

Her ears lit up hearing him say that. “Your training facility? I’ve heard your brother mention it several times, but I’ve never seen it myself.”

“Well perhaps he was waiting to show you after he knew you could be trusted there.”

The sudden seriousness in his voice caught Katara’s attention. She was about to question what he meant but figured it would be better to avoid it. “Yeah, maybe he has been busy, so he hasn’t gotten to it yet.”

“It is alright. Let us head out now. We can get food on the way.”

* * *

“Okay, I have to say, burgers may be my favorite thing now.”

Katara happily enjoyed her greasy meal as she walked down the road through the downtown of Tokyo, the early weekend morning still void of most people. Iida eyed her humorously as he sipped is hot chocolate. “I still am shocked how you enjoy these kinds of meals so early in the morning. It is completely out of the norm.”

“Hey, I never got to have things like this growing up, I’m going to enjoy it now.” She chuckled before taking another bite. She looked up as a light morning mist fell on the two of them. While she wore a light blue jacket, she really enjoyed the cool weather. It wasn’t snow, but anything that reminded her of her home was a welcoming feeling she would take as much as she could. Her mind began to think back of the village she came from before Iida interrupted her thoughts.

“So, have your lessons paid off now? I have seen great improvements with you over these months.”

She sighed and lowered her food. “They have been good… but I feel like I need a break at the moment.”

“What do you mean? These questions are imperative to your studies.”

“I know but… how should I say this; Quite difficult.”

He turned to her and chuckled. “They aren’t that difficult.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

* * *

_Tenya furiously chopped the air as he lectured his struggling student. “Come on, Katara! The square root of four thousand five hundred and fifty is a clearly obvious answer!”_

“ _I can barely multiply ten times ten! How am I supposed to get this!?”_

“ _Don’t be a quitter. This is not rocket science!”_

_She angrily reached up and grabbed her hair. “What the heck is a rocket!?”_

* * *

“Oh do not be dramatic. That was in the beginning.” He grinned as they turned right down the road.

Katara couldn’t help but chuckle at his determination to teach her everything. Sure she was never the best (granted she never went to a day of school in her life) but even she was surprised how quickly she picked it up. Although she knew there was so much more to figure out than what she already had learned.

As they neared the facility, Iida continued on with his questions. “So how was your test from last night? Did you finish it?”

She forced out a fake chuckle and rubbed her head. “Well I actually didn’t take it yet. I wasn’t feeling the best last night.”

Iida took another sip and looked forward. “Another late night training session?”

Katara froze in her steps at his answer. “Wait… when did…”

“I was up last night as well. Couldn’t sleep.” Iida glanced over to her and watched her shocked reaction. “Do you do that often?”

On the spot now, Katara slowly nodded. “Yeah… I do it every few days. I didn’t want to be rude to your family by using their pool as a training spot, but I just wanted to continue practicing with my quirk.”

“It is not rude at all. If you simply asked they would happily let you do that.” he sighed and dropped his empty cup into a nearby trash can. “It’s like you don’t want to be honest with us.”

Now this time Katara definitely noticed the undertone he slipped into his statement there, causing her to look glare direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean like from where you really come from.”

His question sent a cold chill up Katara’s spine when he said that to her. Her feet froze in place as sweat started to drip down her forehead. “wh-what do you mean?”

Iida sighed and stopped walking as well. “I do not want to pry into your personal life, but I find it strange you have not told the truth about where you come from.” he turned and looked her in the eye. “I tried asking Tensei, but he said that your situation was… complicated.”

Katara shifted in her spot, unsure what to say as he questioned her. “How… how did you find out?”

“Well… mother and father have not questioned anything, but I had a strange feeling after some of our study sessions. You say you don’t have cars, but you recognize tanks. You say you don’t have technology like we do, and yet you know what trains are. Even people who don’t follow heroes know who All might is, and yet you didn’t even recognize his name.”

“But I told you that my village is-

“I trust my brother if he chose to let you come here. And I can tell you are a very genuine person.” Iida’s brow softened as he spoke to her. “I have truly come to call you a friend of mine over the last few months. And I feel terrible for putting you on the spot.”

‘ _So why the hell are you?’_ Katara grumbled internally.

“But…” Iida stood up straight and marched over to her. “As someone who lives with my family, I would feel much more comfortable if we were honest with each other.”

Now that she felt like she was cornered, Katara felt her nerves tensing up again. Other than the occasional question about how her culture was different, Tensei never pushed her to reveal more of her past. He always told her he would wait until she was ready. There were many things that even he didn’t know, including some of the different abilities her bending could be used for. At this point however, was keeping everything a secret even worth it anymore?

Seeing her turmoil over discussing this situation, Iida realized he may have been pushing too much. “I’m sorry. If there are things that you experienced at home as to why you came here, I shouldn’t have tried to make you-

“My mother was killed when I was little.”

Iida’s heart skipped a beat when he heard that, but before he could respond, she continued.

“My village had been raided for years, and when I was a little girl they came again. It happened so fast, and after I ran to my father for help it was too late.” Katara reached down and showed him the necklace she wore. “This is the last thing I have of her. That’s why I keep this close, so that I will never forget her.”

While he knew she wasn’t telling the full story, Iida had no idea that she had dealt with something to this extent. He immediately regretted asking her now. “I-I am deeply sorry for making you bring this up! I shall not make you have to-

“It’s alright. It’s not your fault...” Katara reached up and grabbed his shoulder. “… you were concerned about who I was and I was not being forward with you. It’s not something I really enjoy talking about, that’s why.”

Iida let out a small breath and smiled. “Well I should be the one apologizing still. If you weren’t ready to talk I should respect your privacy. I shall wait until you are ready to talk about it.”

As he turned and continued on the sidewalk, Katara still felt guilty that she hadn’t told the whole truth to her new hosts. Tensei knew she wasn’t from this world, but she still hadn’t told him some of the things that she had experienced during the war. And if she was stuck here, should she, or would it just make it more confusing?

She shook her head and followed him down the road, throwing her trash away in a nearby trashcan. The two walked in silence for a few minutes, not knowing what to say after the somewhat awkward moment. They didn’t have to worry about breaking the silence however, for something else would do that for them.

BOOM!

The windows to their right suddenly burst out as four men jumped through the glass. Both katara and Iida fell back in shock as the group of thugs ran down the road carrying bags of cash.

“Let’s go boys before some pros show up!” one of the guys in the back yelled as he chased after the others.

Katara felt her anger rise as she watched the group run off. “Criminal trash. Let’s stop them!” before she could move however, Iida’s arm blocked her path. “What are you doing!?”

“Katara, you can’t just engage them! You are not allowed to use your quirks on others!” He exclaimed. “We shall alert the authorities!’’

She sneered hearing that from him. “So I’m supposed to just let them get away? Why do I need permission to do what is right!?”

“I know this is frustrating, but you will be in trouble if-

“HELP! PLEASE STOP!”

They both froze to the ear piercing scream and turned to see a woman exit the robbed store. The distraught woman was crying and running after the fleeing criminals. “Please don’t hurt him!”

“Him?” Katara’s heart began beating faster as she turned back to the criminals, and felt her blood run cold when the leader turned around. “No…”

The head of the group had a small child in his arms, keeping his crab clawed hands on the boys trembling body. He looked around to all the bystanders showing off his prize. “Any of you heroes around here try and come near us, the kid gets it!”

As the criminals took off down the road again, Katara couldn’t stand there anymore. Her anger was passed control and she tried to run but was held back. “Iida, let me go!”  
  


“Katara, you can’t! If you get close they may hurt the child, so you need to let the pros come and-

“No!” She glared up to him and grabbed his wrist, “I am not standing by when someone needs help!”

She shoved him out of the way and sprinted down the road after the four villains. Even with her friend calling to her, she shut him out and focused forward. “I am not going to be a bystander!”

As the gang rounded a corner ahead, Katara began gathering the heavy moisture in the air and forming several small balls of water around her. When she had a decent amount built up, she launched to forward and latched onto the feet of the straggling thief.

“What the- what is thi-

His voice was cut off by a stream of water engulfing his head and throwing him into the nearby wall. Seeing him knocked out, Katara gathered the water back up and rounded the corner after the others leading to a small alleyway. She ran down and saw the remaining three sprinting down the dirty road. “Hey, Let him go!”

The group stopped and turned to the voice behind. When they saw their pursuer, the smaller one burst out laughing. “Well isn’t this cute, a little wanna be hero!”

“Yeah, she looks really dangerous, doesn’t she?” The other laughed as his hand suddenly morphed into a small knife.

Katara looked between the two of them, her eyes meeting the scared child’s. “It’s okay. You’ll be okay. I promise.”

The young boy nodded slowly, but gasped when the clawed hand reached across his neck. Katara clenched her teeth and stepped forward. “You are sick using a kid as a hostage!”

“Well you should have stayed back like a good little girl…” The man sneered at her, eyeing the water floating around her. “You got my cousin back there, so I won’t be set with just giving this boy up.”

The other two criminals suddenly noticed they were down a man, there smiles replaced with confusion. “Wait, this kid took out Oji?”

“Yes she did… and she will pay for that.”

His claws tightened, eliciting a gasp from the child. Katara raised her hand in fear he could tighten. “Stop! You don’t need to do this!”

“Oh I don’t? I warned you people not to interfere, and you had to stick your nose in my bus- AGH!”

A sudden ice spike pierced his arm just above his claws, faltering his grip and the boy dropping to the ground. Katara waved her arms around and formed several more behind her body. “Get out of here, run!”

“You stupid bitch!” The angered man ripped the ice spike out of his arm. “I’m going to shove this ice up your ass when I’m through with you!”

“You will regret trying hurt that kid! I’ll make sure-

a white blur rushed passed Katara’s body fast enough to almost pull her off the ground. She gasped as she dropped her water to balance herself from falling over. She could hear sudden yelps and a mixture of thuds and crashes from the front, then everything went silent. She opened her eyes again to see what caused the sudden gust, but then felt her heart catch in her throat. “It- it’s you!”

Standing there was Tensei in his Ingenium costume, his body above the three criminals all unconscious on the ground now. Smoke trailed out of the exhaust pipes from his arms, sizzling against the moist air. To top off the image, the young boy was cradled in his arms, clutching onto the armored hero and smiling.

Katara had to admit she was in amazement. She felt she could have taken on the gang herself, but to see how he took them out in a mere instant was beyond impressive. Now she could see why Tenya looked up to him so much.

“Wow, that was amazing.” Katara said as she watched him lower the boy to the ground. She smiled and walked towards him as he reached up to remove his helmet. “You took them out so fast. I don’t know if I could have…” Her words fell silent when she saw the face underneath.

One of pure anger.

“Katara… you get back to the house. Now.”

The furious tone in his voice caught Katara completely off guard. She stepped back as he stomped towards her. “what? I just help stop those guys. If I didn’t slow them down they could have-

“You have no right to get involved in anything like this!” He yelled at her. “Now get back home. NOW!”

The waterbender was frozen in shock and fright as his voice reached a tempo she hadn’t heard from him before. “But… I had to…”

He walked back and grabbed the boy by his hand and pulled him through the alleyway passed her. He huffed passed her and shot her a sharp glare. “I’ll be there soon to talk.”

* * *

Alone in the living room for thirty minutes, Katara sat cross armed on the couch. Her thumbs rubbed against her forearms in anxiousness to what was coming her way. She huffed out in a mix of fear and frustration to Tensei coming off on her.

“I did the right thing, though…” She muttered as she shifted uncomfortably. “...I had to do something.”

The door coming into the guest home suddenly burst open causing her a startle. Her eyes met with an angered Tensei coming in and slamming the door behind him. He walked over to the counter and dropped his helmet on the top, resting his hands next to it. For what felt like several minutes, he kept his back towards her, staring at the wall behind the sink. Katara could see him taking deep breaths to calm his temper, but how much it was working was the real question.

Before she could say anything, he was the one to break the silence. “I wrote in the report that I engaged the group on my own. I left you out of it.”

“Iida, please listen to me…” Katara stood up and walked towards him, “...before you say anything, I need you to understand-

“Understand what?” Tensei clenched his fists as he stared forward. “Tenya called me. Luckily I was still nearby when I answered, or I wouldn't have got there in time.”

“I am grateful for helping me, I am.” Katara stopped by his side and placed her hand next to his. “I had it under control. I wasn’t going to let them hurt-

“And what right did you have to do that?” He turned and stood over her, his harsh stare beaming down. “What would have happened if that kid got hurt, or worse? How do you think that would have turned out for you?”

“I wasn’t going to let that happen. I had that situation under control.”

“And why did you get involved in that situation?” He stepped closer and held his finger in the air. “The one rule I told you that you cannot forget. You cannot use your quirk on others if you do not have the authority to do it.”

Hearing that made Katara’s blood boil, the stern girl glaring back at him now. “So I was supposed to wait for someone else to come and stop them? I was there so I did what was right.”

“What you think was right is not what was to be done. There are laws that forbid people from doing things like that. The chief made that very clear when he put you in my service. And he warned you not to step out of line. Both of us can be in real trouble if you are caught doing that.”

“And that means I can’t help him? That kid needed someone to save him, so I got involved!” Katara stepped forward, standing face to face with the pro hero. “I know what was said, but I couldn’t just sit there.”

“What you wanted to do and what you can’t do are different things. You can’t do that and then-

“No! I won’t sit by anymore when others need my help!” Katara held her ground, her own anger spilling out. “This whole time I’ve been here I’ve been told follow the rules, but I will help those who need it. So show me how to.”

Tensei was about to counter what she said, but the last sentence caught his attention. “What do you mean ‘show me’?”

Katara took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. “I will help people, so I need you to show me how to be a hero.”

The two of them stared each other down for the next minute, neither knowing who was going to break first. Katara’s stern glare looked into Tensei’s eyes intently, trying to see what he was thinking. Her hard look changed however when she heard him start chuckling. “What’s so funny?”

Tensei’s mouth slowly formed into a smile as he leaned back from her. “Now that is what I’ve been waiting to here.”

“Huh?” Katara was perplexed by his sudden change in demeanor, watching him turn and head into his office. “Did you just get into a weird work mood?”

Not responding, Tensei shuffled through the pages on his desk before he came to the one he was looking for. Smiling, he walked back over and held the sheet out for her. “I sent this in back when you first came here, but would only give final confirmation to them once you made the choice yourself.”

Confused, Katara grabbed the page from him and glanced over it… before almost dropping it in utter shock. “This… this is… UA High Application for…” She looked back up to him, feeling her heart racing inside her chest. “Katara.”

Smiling at her, Tensei crossed his arms and leaned against the nearby table. “I knew eventually you would want to do this. I could tell by your heart. I also know you probably will jump into more situations down the line, so you may as well get the training you will need.”

She sat silent as she looked back to the paper, her eyes catching something she didn’t notice before. “My name is… Kaira Katara?” she looked at him in confusion, but he simply smiled at her.

“It would be odd if you didn’t have more than just Katara, so I made that your family name since everyone will call you that anyway. And you should get used to that first name as well…” He put his hands on his hips and stood back. “The entrance exam is next week."


	7. The Exam

Today was the day. It didn’t even feel real, but it was.

Both Katara and Tenya sat together on the crowded train as they made their way towards their destination. He decided to wear is middle school uniform to the exams, while she had gone with a small jacket and matching gray shirt and pants. She didn’t have a fancy set of clothes yet, and didn’t bother about trying to get some for this. Also she had decided to go back to her older hair style by making a single long braid and of course her two front hanging loops. If she was going to school, may as well have a set look to go with it. And would have to remember that new name Tensei had given her to apply here.

While she was very nervous about this whole scenario, she glanced over and saw a large smile across his face. “You don’t seem scared of this at all.”

“Of course, this is the day I have been waiting for my entire life!” Iida exclaimed in enthusiasm. “Every upcoming heroes dream is to go to UA.”

“ Yeah, I’ve been told.” She chuckled and looked out the window, seeing the next station approaching rapidly. “Looks like we are almost here already.”

“Yes, it is very convenient that my family lives so close to the school. Reaching here will be very fast after we enroll.”

“Aren’t you forgetting we have to pass before we are enrolled there?” she raised an eyebrow to his eagerness. “Should be thinking of a backup plan ahead just in case.”

He simply chopped a few times as he responded. “You should not doubt yourself, Katara. With us studying so diligently and our quirks, we shall make it in no problem.”

“Oh yeah, so easy…” She rolled her eyes. “I can barely keep up with you in studies, and now this test is for real.”  
  


“The written part has little impact if you do well in the practical portion…” he paused as the train came to a stop and the doors opened. “...I shall continue on the way there. We must not doddle and cost precious time.”

Katara frowned at the way he acted on a time schedule, getting up and following him out and down the stairs. She slipped on the small backback she was given, quite surprised how comfortable the straps were compared to the ones she had before. Her eyes noticed there were a large number of kids around their age as well, all of them most likely going to the same place they were. And she noticed nearly all of them were in some sort of uniform. _‘Great, now I do feel out of place.’_

“As I was saying earlier…” Iida brought out the entrance exam sheet. “This document reveals the practical portion is worth 80% of what the examinees are looking at. So I have great confidence you will do fine.”

She gave him a small smile at his compliment. “Thanks. I’ll do my best to get in.” She looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. “If this is what I have to do to help people, then I have to do this.”

After a few minutes the two of them came upon the grand entrance to the high school. Katara sat in awe to the large gates and wall that surrounded the giant structure in the center. It looked more like a fortress than any school she had ever seen before. Although after seeing the shopping centers in this world, she shouldn’t have expected anything less than that. They passed through the entrance plaza and made their way inside the long hallway of the school. Signs all throughout were leading them along with all the other kids to an enormous arena like room, hundreds of other teenagers already in their seats.

“Wow, there are so many here…” Katara whispered as she followed her friend down the steps. Her eyes went back and forth among the many different kinds of people were all around her. A large majority of them simply looked like normal people, but there were other ones that definitely stood out, like the pink, fuzzy girl that bounded happily to her seat. There was another girl with long flowing vines from her head, and a giant boy who had multiple webbed arms coming out of his body.

“This could be pretty interesting.” She mumbled to herself while walking down one of the isles and sat next to Iida. “well, here we are now.”

“Yes, this is the time we have waited for…” Iida smiled and saluted himself. “Now is the time I bring honor to the Iida family name!”

Katara sweatdropped at his eagerness. “Someone is for sure ready for this.”

the lights suddenly dimmed all around before the front stage was lit up. The bright screen in the back was illuminated in blue and the large gold UA symbol. And over the speakers, a loud voice suddenly rang through the room.

“What’s up UA candidates!? Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ!”

Katara looked down and there on the podium was the one speaking; A man in tight black clothes who sported orange glasses and a strange neck piece in front. His tall yellow hair stuck high above his body like a cone, for certain catching the eyes of the young waterbender.

Present Mic through his arms up in front of the crowd and smiled. “Come on and let me hear ya!”

Silence.

“Keeping it mellow, huh…” He gave a slight shake, secretly hating awkward silences. “I’ll skip the pre show and get right down to how this practical exam will go down. Are you Reaaaady!?”

Katara could sense the awkwardness in the quiet room as everyone sat in silence. ‘Poor guy. He’s trying to put on a show. Or… he just talks like that…” she chuckled to herself.

“Oh my goodness, it’s the voice hero Present Mic, so cool!”

Katara looked back behind her to the sudden mumbling above. Her eyes caught a green haired boy blushing like crazy to the teacher below. “I listen to his radio show everyday of the week! It’s so crazy all the staff here are famous and…’’

“Oh shut the hell up, nerd…” the spiky haired blonde boy next to him groaned out.

“Jeez, the poor guy is just excited…” Katara frowned seeing the look the angered blonde gave.

“Now, all of you will be out there conducting ten minute mock battles in one of our hip urban settings! After I drop the mic, you will head to your specified battle centers! Okay!?”

Katara looked down at the card she had in her hand reading it over until she reached the center.

Examinee 7112. Test location; Battle center C.

her eyes glanced over to Iida’s card, feeling disappointed he was in B. She was hoping at least to be with someone she knew, but the test must have been set up to avoid teaming up with people you knew. Her ears suddenly caught the green haired kid mumbling again. She giggled at how nervous he was, making her not feel so bad herself.

Mic continued on with the lecture, the screen suddenly showing three different blacked out shapes. “Now there are three different villain bot types scattered out through every battle center. There points are determined by their difficulty, so you better choose wisely! Your goal is to use your quirk to shred through the bots like a mid song guitar solo! But no attacking other students!”

Katara brought her hand to her chin as she saw the bots numbered one to three. “So it’s points by how many you destroy?” She whispered to herself.  
  


Iida suddenly stood up to Katara’s surprise and raised his hand. “Excuse me sir, but I have a question!” He pointed to the sheet he held up. “One the print out there are four different kinds of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful.”

Katara simply brought a hand to her forehead in embarrassment. “Oh gosh, he’s at it again.”

“We are exemplary students, and expect the best from japans most notable school.” He turned around and pointed at the green haired boy. “And you with the messy hair; you’ve been muttering this whole time. Stop that. If you can’t bother to take this seriously then leave. It’s distracting to the rest of us.”

the awkward boy buried his face in his arms. “Sorry!”

Katara glared up at her friend. “Wow, you could of just asked please.”

Iida placed his hand on his chest. “I am bounded to keep myself to the utmost standard. And if others mess that up I have to correct them!”

“let’s pump the brakes there, kiddo! I will answer that booming question!” Present Mic answered as the screen lit up with another shape. “The last villain type is worth zero points! It’s an obstacle to slow you down. It would be best to avoid it if you can. It can be beaten… but that’s kinda pointless!”

The energetic teacher walked back to the center of the podium. “Now that you all got the basics down, let’s do that written portion and get it out of the way. Now let me hear that school motto; GIVE ME A PLUS ULTRA!”

Silence.

Mic kept his smile on as he looked out. _‘God, kids are dull sometimes...’_

* * *

After finishing the surprisingly simple written portion of the test, Katara made her way onto the bus that led to her testing location. Most of the kids had changed into more casual wear to do the practical portion of the exam, helping Katara fit in much better to the crowd. She looked over to Iida walking her direction, her friend now sporting a tight blue track suit.

She grinned and crossed her arms. “You certainly came prepared for this thing.”

“If I did not, then I would not be worthy of being called a hero.” He happily exclaimed and gave a bow in her direction. “Good luck to you Katara, and do your best out there.”

“Same to you. I’ll see you afterward by the entrance.” she returned the bow and smiled. “Do your best.”

Watching him walk away, Katara took a deep breath and turned back towards the C bus line. She went to walk forward towards the line before she bumped into someone crossing in front of her. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t-

“Watch where the hell you are walking, got it?”

Katara was shocked by the sudden outburst from the boy, then realizing it was the same blonde who sat next to the mumbling green haired boy. “Okay… I’m sorry. Jeez.”

Katsuki Bakugo sneered and walked right passed her. “Whatever. Just stay out of my way, hair loops.”

Glaring after him, Katara walked after him a few steps. “Hey, what’s your problem?”

Bakugo simply turned and raised his palm up in the air. “Back off, bimbo…” A mix of sparks popped out of his hand, causing Katara to step back in defense. “Just be lucky you aren’t in my group. I’d blow your damn head off.”

Watching him walk away, Katara felt a cold chill coming from the boy. The enraged vibe he gave off felt similar to what Azula would give, but there was something else. Something deeper she couldn’t put a finger on.

Taking a breath in, she sighed and was happy she didn’t have to go to the same place as that creep. She turned back around and made her way forward with the moving line. Once on the bus, she took one of the empty seats towards the front and sat down. She glanced behind her to see the kind of crowd she was with. Mix of odd and mysterious figures had already sat down. Her mind began guessing what kind of quirks these people must have had.

“Hey there, is this seat taken?”

“Huh?” the sudden voice to the front caught Katara off guard. She turned back forward and saw the same pink girl from earlier smiling at her. “Uhh, no. it’s open.”

“Cool! I’ll sneak right in then!” the happy girl in an orange shirt and green shorts hopped in the open seat to her right. Her dark eyes with yellow irises definitely stood out, but unlike the red eyed Bakugo, these were filled with joy. “Mina Ashido. Pleasure to meet you!”

Katara looked down to the hand extended to her, smiling and gripping it. “Kairi Katara. Nice to meet you too.”

“Katara? Cool name! I’m from Mustafa Middle school. What about you?”

“Oh, I’m not from Japan actually. I’m here on an exchange program.” Katara watched as Mina’s face lit up.

“What!? That’s so awesome! How long you been here?”

Katara sighed internally that her fib continued to work. “Uh, close to three months. It’s been pretty interesting.”

“Yeah I bet…” Mina paused as the bus began rolling towards their destination. “So, you excited for this? I can’t wait to get into UA!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard so many good things about this place. My friend is the one who got me to come here.”

“Oh? You’re friend is taking this too? Nice! That would be sweet if both of you make it in the same class!”

“Yeah, that would be nice.” Katara leaned her head back and looked out the window to the passing trees. “At least one familiar face to start school with.”

“Hmm…” Mina held her chin as she looked at the girl next to her. “Well, if we all end up in the same class, then I’ll be the one to give you both hi-fives!”

Katara laughed at the new girls positive attitude. “Thanks. I’ll hold you to that.” The bus suddenly turning down a side road for several minutes, heading towards what looked like a monstrous arena. Katara stuck her face against the glass and stared in awe to the incoming structure. “Is that the place for the test?”

Mina whistled to the sight herself, also blown away by it’s size. “I think so. That thing really must be it’s own city!”

As the bus slowed to a stop, Katara stared in awe to the sheer size of the large walls surrounding the testing site. They must have been close to the height of the perimeter wall surrounding Ba Sing Se. And this school said they had multiple locations all like this!

“They spend all of this money on testing sites? How much do they have?” Katara exclaimed as the bus slowed to a stop.

“Well it’s UA, of course! This is the biggest school in all of Japan. No wonder they get all of this money.” Mina exclaimed as she stood up from the seat. “Let’s hit it now!”

Watching the excited girl walk down the bus, Katara couldn’t help but smile as well. She stood up and strapped on her water canteen to her side before following the pink fuzzball down the bus steps. Outside, the rest of the applicants gathered in a large group in front of the tall doors leading into the facility. Inside, she could see what really did appear to be an entire city inside. It was almost too crazy to thing this was simply a test site.

“This is insane. They just build places like this to get destroyed.” She whispered to herself.

“Alright kiddos! Time to get moving!”

Katara and all the other kids looked up in confusion to see Mic staring down to them from a raised tower. “Move? What does he-

“In battles there is no time to sit and think. You got ten minutes and the clock is ticking. GO!”

“What!?” Katara was caught off guard as all the other contestants sprinted inside of the large replica city. “No more talking? Just… ugh fine!”

Annoyed, Katara spun around and sprinted after the other kids running inside. Thanks to her decent speed, she was able to pass up the stragglers in the back. After turning a corner, she was caught off guard as a green machine came charging straight towards her.

“What the-” She skidded to a stop as the robot came rolling at her. She saw pictures of them, but to actually see one was more shocking than she expected. Before she could do anything however, a strange gray liquid shot out over the robots head and melted it off. “Huh?”

She watched the machine crash on the street in a smoking mess, confused to what just happened. “How did this thing…” She looked to her right and saw Mina with a large grin on her face, her fingers dripping the same strange material.

“Keep your head focused, girl!” Mina giggled and took off down the road. “I’m already at four. Let’s see who gets more!”

“Four?” Katara looked to the melted machine and saw a two written on the side. Her mind then remembered the point system put in place at the speech. “I see…” She shook her head clear and focused her sight down the road. “Can’t fall behind. Time to do this!”

Running off, she entered a large street where several other teens were already battling several bots. One red haired girl rushed forward to one, her hands suddenly growing enormous and crushing one of the two pointer bots.

“Whoa, that’s a new one.” She admitted to herself. Her eyes suddenly saw two large robots with threes on their sides about to crush the big handed girl. “Hey, look out!”

Flipping her canteen open, Katara brought a large water whip out and slashed through both of them simultaneously. The red headed Itsuka Kendo looked up in shock before nodding back to her savior. “Thanks for that. I owe you one later.”

“I think I’ll take that offer.” Katara grinned as she formed an ice spike and launched it passed Kendo’s head into a two pointer. “Don’t let your guard down.”

Uhh… thanks.” Kendo whispered as the waterbender ran passed her down the street. She brushed her side braid out of her face and grinned. “Who is that girl? Pretty nice quirk she’s got there.” she watched as the mysterious girl slashed through another one pointer in an instant before using her water to capture another small bot. “She has a very nice quirk. I’ll have to keep an eye on her.”

* * *

“Alright, there’s… another!”

Katara spun around and brought the stream of water over her body and brought it down on another one pointer. The small machine crashed down into the street in a crushed mess. “Nice…” She muttered between pants.

At this point, the shock of seeing the small bots had completely disappeared in her head now. They actually reminded her of the test dummies Toph would make during their training exercises with the others, the stone warriors close to the durability of these machines. In fact, by the time she hit twenty, she stopped even keeping track of her score. She was too focused on battling the bots to even care about what score she had at this point. There was something else that she was thinking of that she didn’t even expect. She did feel it had something to do with the large smile on her face.

She was enjoying herself.

While she did love the peaceful life she had experienced for the last few months, she couldn’t deny the one thing she had been missing. And that was the rush of being in a battle. After having so many in the last year, she had grown used to it to the point that when she didn’t, it felt… boring.

But now, she was able to finally let loose.

She chuckled to herself in disbelief while she ran towards another group of bots. “Who would’ve guessed I actually missed this kind of thing.”

She watched as the two small one pointers flew in the air above her, only making them perfect targets. She splashed water over both of them and blew a cool stream of air from her mouth. Instantly, both of the droids were encased in thick ice as they stalled and crashed into the ground by her feet.

Several of the other kids were in awe as they watched this single water wielder crush her way through the droids. Many of them who only had a few points themselves almost felt like giving up as they stared at this single girl destroy these bots like they were toys.

“Jeez, how are we supposed to compete with that?” one of them complained.

“Yeah… I only got three so far. No way I’ll get in if there are people this good.”

Even Mina stopped her battle in amazement as she watched Katara go to work. “Damn, she is good! I’m at twenty and she for sure has passed me.”

Katara couldn’t hear the chatter about herself as she continued her streak through the replica town. Her mind was too preoccupied with taking out more robots she didn’t even try to listen. What did shake her thoughts was the enormous rumble that shook the entire arena.

“What the hell?” Katara yelped as she caught her balance. “Is that someone’s power?”

One of the buildings in front of her suddenly collapsed, revealing a new robot that towered over the entire street. Katara stepped back in terror as the new machine crushed the ground as it rolled through the street.

“This… this is that fourth robot Iida asked about…” her words slowly came out, “That thing is huge… and it’s worth zero?”

Dozens of kids sprinted passed her in an attempt to get away from the incoming robot, none of them wanting to attempt to take it on. Katara looked back and forth between the crowds and decided she should follow suit. “They said it was a wasn’t necessary, so why fight it then…” She went to turn and run as well… before her eyes caught a cowering girl behind one of the destroyed point bots.

“Hey, get out of there!” Katara watched as the giant bot came closer towards the scared girl, it’s massive red eye staring directly at her. The trembling blonde looked up and gasped as the robot began reaching down towards her.

“Move!” Katara screamed, but the petrified girl couldn’t take a step. Grunting, Katara ran forward and threw a stream of water around the girls waist and yanked her back just before the giant hand came down and crushed her. She caught the still shaking candidate and pushed her behind her. “Go, get out of here!”

Unable to speak, the girl took off along with the other fleeing teens down the road. Katara turned back around as she stared down the incoming monster. Now it was so close there was no way to outrun it. She pulled out the rest of her water and frowned to the amount. “I’m already low from using it earlier, but I’d need a river to fight this thing.”

“Two minutes left on the clock!”

Mic’s voice rang through the arena, Katara hissing in frustration. “I just have to outlast this stupid thing a little longer.”

The giant steel hand reached towards the waterbender, her voice yelling out as she launched whatever water she had left and encased its fingers. The robots hand joints froze instantly, but the small amount was not enough to stop it fully. The icy layer began to fracture as the arm pushed forward. Katara struggled to push pack harder, but the power was too much for her small amount of bendable water left. She jumped out of the way just before the hand crushed the spot she was standing in.

Standing up, she pulled the minimal ice left back to her and formed a small stream of water on her arm. She glared up as the robot came in for another strike. “Come on! I’m not done here!”

Katara brought her arm up to slash down, but stopped when a spray of acid hit the base of the robots hand. The steel began melting and forced the arm to fall to the ground. Her head tilted in confusion to what just happened, before a familiar pink girl hopped by her side.

“Now I can’t let you have all the fun, can I?” Mina said with a big grin.

Katara chuckled at her new acquaintance. “I should be giving you the hi-five after that save.”

“Nah, save it for later after the exam is done.” Mina swiped her hand throwing more acid onto the robots incoming hand, the sizzling steel dissolving two of the fingers off. Following suit, Katara slashed the remaining fingers off the hand just before it could grab either of them.

“I gotta say, I had no idea your quirk was so cool!” Mina yelled as she ran and put her palms on the robots forearm melting it instantly.

“Me? You are melting it with… whatever that stuff is.” Katara responded while watching the gray material drip out of the pink girls skin. She turned back and saw the robot turning towards them to use its other arm. “Get under it’s body. It’s so big it won’t be able to reach underneath.”

“Oh, good idea!” Mina yelled impressed to the sudden plan.

They both rushed forward, ducking passed the broken and underneath the armpit of the bot. “There, if I freeze it just for a bit, we will be safe under it.” Katara took the rest of the water she had and threw it up into the large shoulder pocket of the big machine, freezing it instantly and locking the arm into place. “Now it can’t reach down anymore. Now just to let the time-

“Perfect, now I can get it’s arm as well!” Mina snickered and formed an acid ball and winded her arm up, causing Katara’s eyes to widen.

“Wait, don’t! If you do that-

Her words went unheard as the pink girl threw the ball up into the same spot, melting through the joint entirely. Mina turned and grinned to the waterbender. “Piece of cake.”

Katara watched in frustration as the arm began breaking off, shooting a glare to the girl next to her. “The arm is going to fall off. Where are we standing right now?”

Mina’s smile faded as she looked back up as the arm snapped off and fell towards them, “Oops.”

Before the arm could get closer, both girls were grabbed by a shadowy mass and pulled out from underneath the collapsing robot part. Katara yelled as her body was yanked back and set on the ground near a broken car. “What was that?”

She looked down in shock as the shifting purple clawed shadow clutching both her and Ashido let go. Her eyes watched as the strange mass flowed up into a… Bird?

“You really need to be smarter than attacking while underneath a large opponent.” the bird headed boy yelled as the dark mass retracted up into his body.

Mina scrunched her face and crossed her arms. “Not my fault.”

“Oh really?” Katara glared at the fuzzy pink girl.

“TIME’S UP!”  
  


the loud bell rang through the testing facility, forcing all the students to look up.

Katara sighed and laid back on the ground. “Well, that’s over now…”

* * *

The bus ride back to the back to the main school campus felt much shorter than the ride over to the testing site. Probably because the nerves Katara felt were gone, but also because the entire ride back was a non stop conversation with Mina and their rescuer.

“That was so awesome! The way you pulled us like that. So sweet!” Mina’s words came so fast she didn’t even pause to breathe.

“Yeah, that was pretty nice…” Katara added. “...And thanks for saving us back there, mister…?”

“Fumikage Tokoyami. And it is nothing special. I just saw you there and you needed help.” Tokoyami responded calmly.

“Katara, nice to meet you.”

“And Mina Ashido!”

Tokoyami nodded to the both of them. “Pleasure to meet you as well.”

Katara leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath. “I have to ask. What kind of quirk is that? I’ve never seen one like that.”

“My quirk is dark shadow…” He paused as the head of the shadow bird slowly raised itself out of his stomach. “...This shadow creature lives inside of me and I can manipulate to do what I need.”

The dark shape gave a thumbs up. _“That’s right!”_

Both girls eyes widened in shock. “It talks!?”

“Yes, it has a mind of it’s own…” Tokoyami answered as the shadow retracted into his body. “I am actually more impressed with your quirk out there. It is rare to see one like that.”

Katara tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You can control water but also form it into ice as well. Most quirks are either one or the other.”

“Yeah, that was crazy watching you out there!” Ashido bounced next to Katara in excitement. “I saw how you could freeze and then make it water again and control it. That is really awesome!”

“Oh, well thanks…” Katara smiled and rubbed the back of her head. “I can… my quirk is water bending, so any form of water I can control it.”

Tokoyami’s eyebrow raised at hearing that. “Any form? Does that include vapor as in clouds?”

“Wow, good guess.” Katara was impressed he mentioned that. Most people forget clouds are just floating water. “I can in fog. Yes.”

“Wow, and I thought you could only do water and ice.” Mina nodded her head in amazement.

“Yeah. Thanks” Katara looked out to the window to the main UA building. These two new kids she was talking to seemed kind and friendly enough, but like Lida, she was not about to tell the extent of her bending abilities.

Just… not yet.

The bus slowly came to a stop in the same parking lot they had left from earlier. The three of them all got up from there seats and made their way off along with the other students. Katara noticed some of the kids getting off had sad and dreary faces, their shoulders hunched over in disappointment. “What’s wrong with them?”

Mina put her hands on the back of her head and sighed. “Poor guys. They probably know they didn’t get enough points.”

Katara turned back to the pink girl. “Not enough points? So if they don’t get enough…”

“They most likely don’t get into this school.” Tokoyami finished her statement.

Katara suddenly felt a little worried. She stopped counting her points about halfway through, so she didn’t know what she ended up with. Mina noticed this and giggled.

“Calm down, girl. You dominated out there. You for sure got enough points.”

“Agreed. You were exceptional out there.” Tokoyami added. “If the school was watching students in each area, you were for certain on their radar.”

Katara smiled at their compliments. “Thanks. You both were really good out there too.” She looked around as she saw other candidates walking out and grabbing their bags. “So… we are just done now?”

Mina gave a nod. “Yep. Now we just await the results to be sent to us.”

“Alright then.” Katara gave a nod to the two before her. “Well I should get going then. It was nice meeting both of you.”

Tokoyami returned the nod. “Likewise. Perhaps we will be in the same class.”

“I’ll be counting on that.” Mina happily answered and held up a peace sign. “I’ll be seeing you two in school soon!”

Watching her walk away, the remaining two looked to each other and gave one final nod.

“Until next time, Katara.” Tokoyami said.

“Same to you. Good luck.” Katara responded.

After he turned and left as well, Katara placed her hands on her hips and leaned back. “Well, guess that’s it for this whole entrance exam then.”

She let out a sigh in relief knowing this was all she had to do for the testing. Sure the written part she thought she did okay on, but the practical portion is where it mattered. After hearing what the other two said about her, she now felt much more confident in herself.

“Kinda wish I kept track of my score now…” She mumbled to herself.

She looked around as many of the kids were heading through the hallways into the school back towards the entrance. Looking back, she noticed that Iida’s bus had not returned yet. “Huh… maybe they got held up?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to follow the others through the school and make her way out. “Might as well wait for him out front then.”

Walking over to the storage area, she found her bag in the mix and slipped it on. She turned and walked through the doors of the school and made her way down the large hallways. She couldn’t help from letting her eyes wander around the beautifully designed flooring and architecture. Seeing how clean and wonderfully kept it was showed this place did have top of the line funds to keep it going. Although simply looking at the testing facilities would have given that away.

She began to feel a swell building up in her chest, knowing she may be coming here very soon. Sure studying and all those tests she did with Tenya weren’t her favorite thing, but she knew what it meant. I she wanted to be able to help people, she would need to come here and earn that right to stand on the front line to help others. To be a hero.

A smile crept across her face as she looked to her future. Her eyes continued to look around the grand school, but then she stopped walking when she caught view of a sign down a side hallway.

“Recommendation’s Entrance?”

the empty hallway was lined with multiple chairs all the way until the hall turned down another path. She hadn’t heard anything from Tensei or Tenya about recommendations for the exam, so her mind began making its own guesses. Curiosity overtaking her, Katara walked down the corridor towards the End. Turning, she saw it led to a single door around the bend. There was a small check in sheet hanging on the wall be the doors handle, drawing her closer as she tried to see what it was.

Before she could see what was on the page, the door opened up and the body walked out and bumped into the girl blocking the path.

“Oh!” Katara caught herself before falling and rubbed her head awkwardly. “Sorry about that, I was just wondering what… was...”

In that moment, Katara felt her heart stop beating in her chest. Her hands began shaking as sweat began forming on her forehead. A cold chill ran up her spine when she laid eyes on the familiar flames coming from the mans face underneath his cold, blue eyes. Her breath came in short gaps as her shaking feet struggled to keep her body standing up. “Y-You again…”

“Well look who just happened to show up here.” Endeavor’s cold glare burned through the young girl’s soul as he stepped towards her. “I was wondering when I was going to see you again, you little rat.”


	8. Eyes watching Her

“So you finally came out of your hiding place.” Endeavor sneered as he stepped towards the scared waterbender. “I was curious how long it would be until you showed your face again.”

Katara swallowed hard as she moved backwards from the enraged hero, his cold eyes seemingly staring through her soul. If luck was an ability, she would have most certainly had the worst of it. She hadn’t seen him since that first night she arrived in Japan, and was hoping to keep it that way for as long as she could. But now… he was here right in front of her.

She took a deep breath and glared back at him. “Not like I was hiding in a hole. I had someone kind who offered me a place to stay.”

“Ah yes, I heard from the chief you were going to be staying with your little hero. Young Ingenium. The hot shot rookie aid…” he sneered. “That boy always offers help to those who are lost…” he gave a snicker towards the girl in front of him. “… or have no purpose being there.”

Her blood ran hot hearing those words, her fists clenching at her sides. “Tensei has helped me in ways I can never forget. I will always be in his debt.”

He gave a snicker to her reaction. “Oh? Calling him by his first name? The pet seems to have gotten attached to its master.” Endeavor felt a bit of joy seeing her teeth clench in anger before he crossed his arms. “I don’t know what kind of bullshit story you fed to the two of them about your situation, but I know a snake when I see one.”

Katara’s fists shook in anger to his accusations towards her and to the insults he made towards the people that helped her through this time made it worse. “So, what are you going to do? Take me in for more questioning?”

Her eyes noticed his fists emit a small glow, causing her to regret saying that.

“That could be arranged.” He snickered before dissipating his fire fists. “But I’d rather not cause trouble for my prizes exam tomorrow.”

Katara raised her eyebrow in confusion. “Your prize?”

“Of course, why do you think I would be here?” he nodded towards the recommendation sign near the door. “He’s above you basic kids, so his test is different than yours. I made sure that I made him that way.”

As he walked passed her, Katara realized what he was talking about, feeling a sickening taste rise inside of her. “Made your kid that way? Is that all that matters to you?”

He stopped walking and turned his head back to face her. “It’s not like some peasant girl like you would ever understand. My ambition will drive him to be greater than any of you.” His mouth curled up into a sinister grin. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to even bring any of this to him. If by some miracle a rat like you makes it into UA, I’ll let him simply over shine all of you would be heroes.”

The young waterbender’s breath came in deep inhales as she fought to control her anger. She didn’t know this kid of his, but her mind immediately thought to the deranged daughter of the fire lord she had engaged multiple times with. Before she could respond, his cold voice rang through the hallways once more.

“And by the way girl, I still haven’t forgotten the trouble you caused back then. Even if you claim to have changed, I’ll say this; You take a step out of line again, and I’ll personally be the one to put you away.”

After those words, the flame hero was out of sight, leaving the angered Katara standing alone I the hallway.

* * *

In a back of the main UA building, a darkened room held many figures overlooking the dozens of screens lining the main wall. The rows of teachers eyed the many students across the monitors, eyeing the ones that really caught their attention.

“Amazing, this years students are quite remarkable…” Midnight whispered out loud, giving her lips a quick lick. “It’s been a while since we had so many extraordinary kids at once.”

“Agreed…” the gray Cementoss responded as he typed on the keypad to pull up the scoreboard for battle points. “Number one for sure caught my attention.”

Many of the staff all started murmuring to themselves when a member from testing Group A came on screen. “This one, Katsuki Bakugo, scored seventy seven battle points alone. That’s towards the school record.”

“Agreed, his raw power and battle prowess are leagues above many of the others…” A small bear-mouse creature spoke, “… but he does not seem concerned about others when they needed assistance. So rescue points may be scarce for him in the judging section.’’

“Scarce? Perhaps non-existent.” Powerloader chuckled to himself.

“Yes, but there are two others that I really want to discuss as well.” the small principle moved the keyboard and blew up the screen from testing ground B, revealing a certain green haired boy launch into the sky towards the large zero pointer. “This boy, Izuku Midoriya, while didn’t receive any battle points, risked everything to save another student.”

Principle Nezu smiled and scrolled forward in the video. “He was able to completely destroy a zero point battle droid. It’s been years since we have seen that.”

“True… but those injuries are quite severe that he sustained.” the eerie voice of Ectoplasm answered.

“And yet he rushed in knowing the risk, just to save another…” A skeletal looking man with yellow hair responded, “...Only a true hero would do something like that.”

Nezu gave a small smile to his skinny friend, knowing exactly who the green haired child was. He turned back to the screen and scrolled to his next student. “Now this is one I was a bit surprised on as well. In testing ground C.”

The screen changed to a video of Katara slashing through the many robots in the street. Her water cut them like they were nothing more than cardboard. Midnight grinned and adjusted her small mask. “Now there is one to watch. Very unique quirk she has.”

Cementoss nodded in agreement as he watched her freeze a few more bots. “Ah yes. I noticed her earlier as well. She has quite a variable quirk to go between both ice and water at her choice, She is one of the more talented ones I’ve seen at this early of an age.”

The skinny All Might watched in amazement to the video in front of him. Something about this girl he was seeing was different than the other students. The way she moved, the style of fighting she was using… it was second nature to her.

She was definitely no newbie when It came to using her abilities.

He then watched as she rushed headfirst to save someone else, just like his own protege did in his own testing ground. He gave a small smile as the young girl on screen used her water to hold back the massive robot. “So young Midoriya, you aren’t the only one who is willing to risk anything to save others.” he whispered to himself. “This may be a very interesting group of students.”

* * *

The ride on the train from the school back to the Iida household felt silent for Katara, her mind still reeling from the encounter she had with the sickening man supposively called a hero. Everything sounded hollow, from the clicking of the wheels to the many chatting voices of the people around her. She didn’t even notice the voice to her right until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Katara, you okay?”

“Huh?” she turned in confusion to Tenya staring at her. His eyes were filled with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for almost a minute and you never even turned my direction.” He said.

“Oh sorry…” She fake chuckled and rubbed her head. “… my head was just a little stressed after the exam. I was worried how I ended up doing.”

“Well, what was your score by the end of it?”

Now she felt awkward with him asking this part, for she didn’t even know. “Well… I kinda stopped keeping score by the time I was around twenty.”

Tenya’s eyes nearly burst through his glasses at hearing that, his arm suddenly chopping furiously. “Katara, how could you be so foolish! Losing track of your progress is a horrendous mistake!”

“Hey, easy easy…” she frowned at him, “… I was by that only a few minutes in. I kept going after that towards the end.”

He put his hand to his chin as he listened to her. “I see. Well I was able to score fifty two points myself.”

Hearing that really caught Katara’s attention, her head perking up more than before. “Whoa, really? That’s amazing. That was for sure more than what I got.”

“I am sure you did well, yourself.” he gave a reassuring smile to her as the train came to their stop. They both stood up and walked off together. “I have seen your quirk in use, and if you did anything like that during the exam… then you would have done excellent.”

She smiled at his compliment, rubbing her arm as they walked through the train station. “The last few minutes I was held up by that big zero point robot they had, though.”

Tenya froze in place at her words. “You what!? You fought against that thing?”

She lifted her eyebrow in surprise to his reaction. “Yeah… I did. There was a girl who wasn’t moving so I had to get her out of the way. And fighting is a strong word. More like…” She shrugged when she tried thinking of the right word. “… held it back.”

She looked back at him expecting criticism for not running away like the teachers recommended. Instead, she was shocked to see him suddenly slap his face with both hands. “What the!? What did you do that for!?"

Tenya’s hands shot forward and latched onto Katara’s shoulders to her surprise as he started shaking her. “Katara, did you know there was more to this test as well!? You also battled one of those things to save someone!?”

What- are- you- talking- about!?” Katara managed out between shakes. “I-just-helped-someone!”

He let go of her arms, forcing her to check her neck for whiplash. “What the heck was that about? What do you mean more?”

Tenya took a breath and adjusted his glasses. “In my testing ground I encountered the large obstacle as well. When confronted, I turned and avoided it along with most of the other students.”

Her ears perked up when he said that. “Most?”

He gave a slow nod to her. “do you remember that one boy in the conference room? The one who kept distracting us?”

“distracting?” Katara then pictured the awkward green haired boy that was behind them, his freckled face for some reason sticking in her mind. “Yeah, the one you scolded. Why?”

“He was in my group for the test, and he had zero points by the end of the exam.”

“what? He didn’t get any?” she frowned, feeling bad for the boy now. She saw how excited he was to be at the school, and to end up with nothing must have crushed him.

“Well that is the thing…” Tenya added, “… towards the end of the exam he rushed in to save girl who was trapped and destroyed the machine by himself but-

“Wait…” Katara cut him off as her mind started working overtime. “… you mean he destroyed the zero point one all by himself?

“Correct… in fact he took it out with a single attack.”

If her jaw could have touched the floor, it would have at that moment. While she was low on water, she could tell by how much resistance she felt those bots were no easy task. And to hear this seemingly timid boy had eradicated one all alone with one strike to say the least… how in the world did he end up with no points then?

Tenya sighed as he continued walking once more. “The problem about his quirk however is it seems there are harsh consequences to using it. He broke his arm and both legs after the attack.”

“Wait, what!?” She shouted out in shock before looking around in embarrasment. She waved “sorry” to a passing family before looking back at him. “He broke his limbs? What kind of power was it?”

“I believe it was just strength. He jumped all the way to its head and punched it which destroyed it, but it seems as if he cannot control his ability yet.”

Katara fell silent in disbelief as they continued down the road back towards the house. She couldn’t believe there were powers here that worked like that; destroying your own body to the point it actually breaks. With bending there was always the risk of overexertion, but nothing to this extent. Or… could they? She had never heard of that before, but… maybe if pushed far enough, bending could be dangerous to the user.

She shook her head to clear those thoughts as they came to the steps of the large Iida household. They went through the doors and could tell that everyone else was gone at the moment. Tenya took his bag off and stretched his shoulders, releasing a satisfied moan. “Now that exam is over, I really should get back to finishing my finals paper due next week.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it then.” Katara removed her shoes and started walking towards her room. “I’m gonna lay down for a bit.”

“Are you not feeling well?” Tenya asked.

She gave a small nod to him. “I’m fine. I just… wanna rest my head for a little.”

“Well if you need anything let me know. Rest up, Katara.” Tenya finished with a wave and then headed to his own room. As he walked off, Katara sighed to herself and made her way down the hall and into Tensei's place. She went to the couch and slumped down onto the couch and groaned out loud. She once again hated not telling the truth to why she was stressed. The test itself was not the problem. It was the fact of who she ran into after.

"Why did it have to be him of all people?" She moaned as she rubbed her forehead.

That so called hero, Endeavor; how was a man like that considered the number two hero in this country? From the times she encountered him, nothing about him felt warm or comforting, elt from that person was nothing to what a hero should be.

Anger.

Hatred.

Desire.

Those were the only things she felt from him. Nothing like the other man she had learned of recently and seen on the tv occasionally.

"All might..." she whispered out.

The great hero that had taken this world by storm was for sure something else. It was more than is seemingly unstoppable power, for his very punches created gusts that even an awakened avatar would be jealous of. No, that isn't what caught the waterbenders attention about him. It was his charming personality, his warm demeanor, and his never ending smile were what gave that golden glow that she had grown accustomed to over the last few months. That is what made her feel good when she saw him on the news talking or in action saving someone.

That is what she saw as being a hero.

And now from what she heard from him, this Endeavor would be having a kid be in the same school as her, at the same time. Knowing how bad this flame hero was, she figured his kid was just as bad. She cringed at the thought of dealing with another Azula all over again. She tried shutting her eyes to clear her head... but that only brought back the image of that crazed girl coming for her. Blue fire, yellow eyes, and that bolt of lightning shooting directly for her heart.

Kataras fist clenched and she sat back up. Her brow was sweating again, mostly out of frustration now. "That idiot thinks I’ll just be a stepping stone for his kid? That’s not going to happen.”

She stormed her way out of the living room back to the main household, walking through the halls towards the pool. Not even caring it was still the day, she needed to clear her head again.Stomping her way into the pool area, she kicked her socks off real quick and yanked her outer shirt off real fast, leaving her in pants and a tank top. She huffed out and turned towards the water. "If he thinks I'll be a stepping stone forget it." She yelled out.

Katara raised her hands and brought several pillars of water up along the edge of the pool and froze them in place. She walked passed her makeshift targets onto the surface, the surface freezing beneath her feet as more crept onto her hands. Small ice spikes formed on her finger tips while she closed her eyes and breathed. She focused her mind, imagining the enraged fire nation princess once again. Emotions of anger and fear creeeping back into her heart. Something she never wanted to experience again.

Clenching her teeth, she spun around and launched her mini ice spikes into the several pillars around her, the small projectiles piercing the columns. She immediately whipped out another stream of water and sliced one of them completely in half. Not hesitating, she quickly pulled a small wave of water and threw it into another, pulling the ice off the concrete edge into the pool.

"Not this time..." she grunted as she formed a single large hook on the end of another water whip. Lashing forward, she pierced the side of the remaining column and yanked it towards her and into the water. The large splash erupted out and washed over her body, water slowly pouring down her face, but she didn't care. Her eyes were focused on what may come her way. The flame hero came into her mind again, her teeth clentching in anger.

"I won't sit by and let his words hold me back."

* * *

The next week seemed to go by in an instant, every day her studying and training seeming to pass in a blur. The thought of having to wait so long to get the results were becoming more stressful than the exam itself at this point. Even as she sat and ate dinner with Tensei, her mind kept playing different scenarios inside her head every day to what the school was going to say.

She glanced over at her host and watched as he was focused reading over documents from his office, not noticing her gaze. She never told him about running into Endeavor at the school, figuring the less drama for Tensei the easier it would be. She sighed as she reached down and took another bite of her rice and swallowed.

“Alot on your mind?”

Katara choked for a moment from the sudden question, coughing a few times before she looked at Tensei, his eyes still glued onto his paper. “You *cough*could tell?”

“You’ve been especially quiet the last few days, and you keep staring over towards me as we are eating?” He said as he took a sip of his soda.

She frowned and drank some water herself. “Was it that obvious?”

“Well I wouldn’t be a hero if I didn’t notice.” he gave her a small smirk, then his face softened. “What’s been bothering you?”

She took a breath and set her drink back down. “It’s just waiting for the results. I didn’t know it was going to take this long.”

He gave a chuckle hearing that. “I know it’s annoying. Trust me, I had to wait close to this long as well. With so many applicants, they have a lot of kids to get through and score. It will be here soon.”

“I know. It’s just…” Katara huffed out and leaned onto the table. “What if for some reason I don’t get accepted? What would I do then if I can’t help people?”

“Katara, just because you don’t get into the hero course here doesn’t mean its the end. There are many kinds of other courses to be enrolled in, and if you prove yourself enough, you can still be transferred to the hero course.”

Her eyes lit up a little hearing that, seemingly taking some of the weight off her chest. “Really? Well if that is the case then-

“IT’S HERE!”

Both of them jumped in shock as the door to the main house burst open. Tensei flipped around as his eyes shot open. “Mom!? What was that about!?”

Madoka was shaking with excitement as she bolted into the room passed her son and right up to Katara. “It’s here, it’s here it’s here!” she kept yelling at the top of her lungs.

“What’s going on!?” katara yelped in confusion. “What’s here!?”

A few moments later, the Iida father Toki came in huffing and puffing. “Honey, I told you that you can’t just barge in like that!” he weazed out from chasing her.

“I’m sorry I just…” Madoka squealed in excitement as she whipped up the letter she was holding in the air. “But this was just dropped off! It’s your results for UA!”

Katara’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes fell onto the parchment in front of her, especially since she was literally just talking about this a few moments earlier. Her hands slowly reached up and grabbed the sealed letter from the bouncing mother.

Madoka wiggled back and forth as she watched the young girl eyed the letter. “Well, come on! Let’s see what they said! Open it!”

Toki put a hand on his wife’s shoulder and stopped her hopping. “Honey come on. We agreed to let Tenya open his in private. It’s only fair to let her do the same.”

Tensei’s mother pouted and began sulking. “Come on! I wanna know what they both got. Why wait?”

“Mom…” Tensei groaned. “… this is special for her. Let her do this on her own.”

“Hmm…. Fine.” Madoka moaned out and crossed her arms. “But promise you will let us know what they say.”

Katara didn’t say anything, just giving a small nod as she slowly got up from her chair and walked off towards her room, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes never left the paper she held, fingers reaching for the seams before she stopped, hands for some reason unable to tear it open. She set it down in front of her and moved back, her behind finding the soft end of the mattress and sitting back.

She sat on the edge of her bed for what felt like ten minutes as she stared at the letter sitting on the dresser. While she was somewhat excited to find out the news of what the school said to her, she now felt the slight hint of nervousness creeping into her. What if she didn’t score enough, or did something wrong that she wasn’t supposed to do? But… was sitting her waiting to see what they said going to make it any different?

Grunting to herself, she stomped over to the letter and shredded at the top of the parchment. She reached in to grab the letter to read the results… but was caught off guard when she found a small gray disk instead.

“Huh? What’s this?” she held up the item to her face, trying to figure out what it was. “Is this like another test? We open it up and try to- wah!”

She yelped out when the top of the flat portion began glowing, causing her to drop it back down. It landed flat and suddenly a small screen illuminated in the air.

“ **Booyah! I am here as a projection!”**

Katara stepped back in shock when the booming voice of the number one hero came through the device, and the all so famous smile beaming down towards her. “A-All Might!? What is this!?” her shaky legs shuffled her back and guided her to sit down on the bed. “Why would he be on this?”

She had no idea why the top hero in all of Japan was on a video sent from the school talking to her now.

**Ahh hahaha! Yes you may be shocked as to what I am doing here, right? Well you may be shocked to realize that I am not here to just say hi. You are looking at the newest UA faculty member!”**

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she heard those words. She had heard that UA had some of the most elite teachers out of all the schools. But now, the best hero the world had ever seen was going to be one of the ones teaching her how to be a hero. It was almost too good to be true for her to believe.

“ **So, young Katara…”**

“What!?” Katara yelped when she heard her name, “He’s talking directly to me!?” She didn’t realize the entrance letters were going to be so personalized.

“ **You were able to pass the written exam, although you did miss a few things here and there.”**

She frowned when she heard that. “Great, guess it wasn’t so easy. Maybe I do need to study more.”

“ **But not to worry!”** His eccentric voice seemingly responded to her. **“The practical portion is what mattered most** **for the hero course** **, and you did excellent.”** He moved and a large chart popped on screen. **“Your villain points tally was an impressive forty-four!”**

“forty!?” Katara sat up straight in surprise when she heard that. She had been curious the whole time what her score was, but to hear it actually amazed her. She then noticed on the list of names, hers was in sixth. She then saw two familiar names above hers. “Tokoyami and Iida…”

She chuckled to herself, seeing Tenya above her, feeling a drive to do better next time. “Can’t make it too boring.”

“ **But we aren’t stopping there. There is more to this than just battling villains.”**

Katara tilted her head in confusion to what he meant, but then watched as part of the screen changed to her during the test. “That was… they recorded this?”

The video showed her taking out the robots above the red headed girl she came across, and then to when she pulled the scared girl away from the large zero pointer.

“ **You weren’t just satisfied with getting a good score. You reacted on instinct and helped those who needed it. That is the true essence of a hero!”**

Katara suddenly felt a strange sensation in her chest, thinking back to the very words that Tensei told her the first night she arrived here. And now she was hearing the same thing from the top hero.

“ **Not only that, but your actions inspired others to react as well!”** two familiar faces popped on the screen next to hers.

“Ashido and Tokoyami?” Katara said out loud as video of them aiding her against the large bot started playing.

“ **And that is where rescue points come in!”** the chart behind him changed, revealing a new set of points as well. **“Kairi Katara.** **f** **ifty** **five** **rescue points!”**

Katara’s heart rate jumped through the roof at the sight of the new score next to her name. Along with the other points and the new ones she had just received, now her new total was…

“Ni- ninety nine?” her mouth barely uttered out in disbelief.

“ **Mina ashido, twenty five rescue points. And to Fumigake Tokoyami, forty rescue points!”** All might smiled even larger as the new scores updated behind him.

Katara’s eyes drifted from the hero to the numbers on the screen, and what she saw took all the strength from her legs away. Her body slid down the end of the bed and her bottom ended on the floor. She barely breathed in disbelief as the order of names shifted to the new scores, and wheres hers ended up took every fiber in her body not to feint in disbelief.

She was in first place.

“ **You’ve all passed the exam!”** All Might exclaimed as his fist opened up to the camera, seemingly offering it to the stunned waterbender. **“Congratulations, Katara. You have made it. You are part of the hero academia!”**

Katara sat in silence and utter shock to the news she had just received, but after a few moments a large smile crept across her face. She eventually stood back up and couldn’t help but clentch her fists and throw them up.

“Yes! I did it! I did it!” She cheered happily as the small disc shut off, leaving her alone once more. It didn’t matter now, though, for she niw knew she was one step closer to being able to help others.

* * *

Across the household, Tenya sat in his room and had also finished watching his hologram projector as well. He sat in silence not just to the shock from being accepted into the greatest school in Japan, for that would have been enough. He however took notice of the scoreboard that revealed his placement along with the other top ten students. And a familiar name was sitting at the top in first place.

He couldn’t help but feel happy, and yet… a slight pain in his chest at being so outclassed. He knew katara was good, but to nearly double his score, that was an entirely different story. He couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.

“So, it seems you are joining me as well at UA. You really are amazing, Katara. Now let’s see who becomes a hero first.”


	9. Right to It

Katara stared at herself in the mirror for what felt like an hour, taking in the outfit she wore. The gray UA uniform that was sent to the home fit her body perfectly, the jacket contouring her shape down her sides. The skirt she could have gone without, but being school dress code she figured not to argue it. The one thing that mattered the most to all of this was the fact it was a school uniform to the place she wanted to go.

Hero school.

She couldn’t help but smile in amusement to hearing that. After simply doing the right thing where she came from, now she was going to a school to learn more about saving people and how to do it.

“Seems like it would be pretty obvious.” She mumbled to herself as she grabbed her backpack and carried it out of her room. She entered the main hall and found Tenya already waiting for her by the door, poised and ready to go as he put his hands to his hips.

“Well Katara, today is the day that we both join the ranks of other future heroes and learn how to become pros!” he shouted out in glee as the waterbender chuckled at him.

“Yes it’s a big day for both of us. I am ready for this, too.” she responded.

“Shall we get going? We do not want to be late on our first day.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

“Wait! Wait!”

Both of them flipped around at the sudden call, and they were met with a bright flash catching them off guard. “What the- mother!”

Madoka was there with a camera in hand and a giant grin on her face. “Oh this is so exciting! My little baby and his friend have gotten into UA together, and in the same class as well!”

Katara sighed but smiled at the woman's happiness. “Yeah I feel a little better that I know at least one person in my class.”

“Indeed, it is quite lucky we both are together.” Tenya agreed. “And we must get going, mother. We should not be late for our first day.”

“Well that is why I am here. I will be driving you to school!” Madoka cheered.

“Uhh mother it is quite alright.” Tenya responded. “We can get on the train quite quickly.”

“Oh nonsense. It’s your first day and I have to be on the road anyway. Besides it will be much faster.” Madoka held her finger up. “And no exceptions.”  
  


As she walked away, Katara raised an eyebrow at Tenya’s deadpanned face. “She really is determined when something’s on her mind, huh?”

* * *

The ride to UA in the car certainly was much faster than the walk, getting there in less than ten minutes. Now katara was a bit disappointed this couldn’t be there way everyday now, but would take what she could get. The large structure that was their school came into view as Madoka pulled along the curb with the other cars. Once she stopped, the elder woman looked back behind her, her eyes sparkling through her glasses. “Alright you two, I hope you have a good day!”

“Thank you mother.” Tenya responded and opened the car door.

“Yes, thank you.” Katara nodded and followed Tenya out.

Before she got all the way out, Madoka suddenly gasped. “Oh, Katara, wait! I almost forgot.”

“Huh? What is it?” Katara watched as Madoka was digging through her purse, suddenly pulling out a small rectangular item. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. “Wait, is that…”

“Yep, your own phone.” Madoka smiled and held it out for her. “Tensei bought it last night. In case there are emergencies and you need to get a hold of us.”

Katara was silent as she reached and pulled the phone towards herself. She had seen them use the phones on multiple occasions, but she herself had never really tested them out herself. She stared at the item a few moments, actually enjoying the way it fit into her hand perfectly. She smiled and gave a bow forward. “Thank you so much.”

“You are very welcome. Just keep it on you for when you need it. Plus if there is a cute boy, don’t forget to give him your number.’’

Katara felt her cheeks warm as Madoka chuckled and gave a wink before driving off. She stood there phone in hand on the sidewalk, her eyes drifting down to the item she held. She sighed and slipped it in her pocket. “Guess I’ll have to figure this out soon.”

She turned behind her to the large school, the place that would be her place of study from now on. It was nothing to what she had ever expected she would be doing, although she never expected to end up in another world. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, not sure if she was prepared for what she was getting herself into, but now she would face it no matter what.

“I’m ready for this.” she sternly said to herself as she walked after Tenya into the school.

The two of them walked down the large hallways into campus. Katara’s eyes noticing the dozens of other students she passed by, staring at the many different kinds of people she was going to be in school with. She tried seeing if there was anyone else she had seen before, but so far none that she had seen during her entrance exam were here. After another minute or so, they came onto a giant door with a large 1-A on the front of it.

Tenya smiled and looked back towards her. “This is it, Katara. This is our class here.”

Katara nodded but never took her eyes off the massive door. “Why is this thing so big?”

“Well there are chances that there could be very large students made it into UA, so they have to compensate.”

Not wanting to think much about it, she shrugged and watched as he opened the door to the class. It slid open, revealing the room they would call home for the next year. Inside there were already other students in their seats and talking among the others. Her eyes went around, noticing the blonde boy in front with a large tail coming out from behind him. Another… uh she wasn’t sure since it was just a floating set of clothes seated down. That she would have to check out later for sure. She then turned and-

“Oh wow! You are here!”

Katara yelped as a flash of pink hopped in front of her, the familiar yellow eyes filled with excitement. The waterbender sighed when she recognized who it was. “Hey Ashido. That’s amazing you made it too. I’m glad.”

“I know right? It’s cool we are in the same class too!” Mina responded happily. “And what about you? I saw you got the highest score in the entrance exams. That is unbelievable!”

“Thanks. I had no idea about those rescue points they gave out…” Katara responded. “… I saw you got some too for helping me in the end.”

“Yeah, but not much.” Mina gave a small frown, “Probably took some points off for my little stunt.”

“Oh I’m sure it wasn’t that much.”

“Oh well. I’m here at least, and look who else got in as well.” Mina smirked and pointed behind her.

Katara looked passed the pink girl and caught a glimpse of a familiar bird head sitting in the back. “Tokoyami is in here too?” She said with surprise.

“Yeah I saw with his rescue points and battle points he scored second. Talk about some tough quirks in one class!” Mina cheered.

Tokoyami took notice of Katara looking at him, a small smirk forming on his beak as he nodded towards her. She followed suit and returned the gesture, a little happier to see a few familiar faces in her class at least. Her eyes then caught a glimpse of something behind Tokoyami, making her mind suddenly block out all other senses.

‘Wait… did I just.’ she whispered internally as her head shifted to the left to get a better view, but when she did, she felt her heart stop when something from her past came in her line of sight. Her breath came in quick gasps as sweat began forming on her neck, her eyes locking onto the familiar scar that she had seen so many times on her friend and former enemy.

“Z-Zuko?”

Mina tilted her head in confusion to the sudden change in Katara’s persona. “Uh, you okay?”

The waterbender didn’t even hear her as she stared at the boy in the back of the room. After a few moments she realized it wasn’t her friend sitting there. His half red and white hair hung like Zuko’s, but he was shorter in height and eyes two different colors. But what shocked her was the familiar burn that was over the left eye, the same side as Zuko’s. She was lucky he was looking elsewhere, for she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The only thing that broke her focus was the sudden snap in front of her face.

“Hello, is anyone home?” Mina annoyingly asked. “You went full statue for a bit.”

Katara shook her head and breathed a few more times. “Oh s-sorry. I just…” She exhaled once again as her eyes finally left the scarred boy. “Thought I saw an… old friend.”

“Hmm?” Mina turned around and looked behind their bird friend, a large smirk growing across her face. “Oh, you looking at the hot boy in the back? I noticed him too.”

Katara glared at her. “I’m looking because he looks like a friend from my home. Who is he?”

“Well only the hotshot of the school.” Mina said with a big smile. “That’s Shoto Todoroki. He got in through recommendations.”

“Recommendations?” Katara suddenly remembered the room she walked by after the exam, and who she ran into. Her mind started spinning as she looked back to the boy in back, his left side suddenly reminding her of the flame hero.

“So… that is… Endeavor’s son?” she hesitantly asked.

“yep, that’s crazy how we have the kid of the number two hero in our class, huh?”

Katara kept her eyes on the boy, now somewhat cautious what kind of person he was going to be. She then noticed the empty seat to his left in the back, her heart beginning to race faster as she began hoping what she thought wasn’t going to be true. She then pulled out the small entrance sheet that had been sent to her a few days ago with the school uniform. She looked it over until she found the arranged seat section, seeing a number ten there. She looked up to the desks from the left and saw five in the row, and the next row there were-

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Her desk was in the back row, and right next to this Todoroki.

“Can this get any worse?” She mumbled to herself.

“Ah what’s your problem? Your old school shove a stick up your ass or something?”

the sudden shouting from the other side of the room made Katara turn her head, and felt her shoulders slump even more. “Now this really did get worse…”

Tenya was arguing with that same blonde kid she had encountered right before her exam, his mouth curled in a massive grin.

“Ah Sobe huh, so you think you’re better than me. I’m gonna have fun tearing you a new one.” Bakugo laughed as he watched Tenya’s eyes widen in shock.

“You’d threaten me? Your own classmate!? Are you sure you are in the right school?” The stunned Iida shot back.

Katara rubbed her forehead as she tried to contemplate everything that was happening to her. First she is sat next to the son of the man who would be happy with Azula as his daughter, and now she was also in class with that angry kid that threatened to kill her before. What a great start to her school days.

“Uh, e-excuse m-me.”

Hearing the stutter behind her, Katara turned and was met facing the familiar green hair she had seen at the entrance as well. She then noticed she was blocking the doorway and chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be in the way.” She watched as his face suddenly turned a burning red as he spoke to him. “You okay?”

“N-no no! Y-you’e fine!” Midoriya buried his face in his arms as he turned away from her, sweat already pouring down his face.

“Uhh… Okay then.” Katara just sat in confusion as the stuttering mess in front of her couldn’t even look at her. _‘Jeez,_ _has he ever talked to a girl before?_ _’_

“Ah, so I see you have made it here, too.” Tenya came stomping towards the green haired mop passed his friend. “I am Tenya Iida. You were in my testing group at the entrance exam.”

“uh y-yes I remember you!” Midoriya waved his hands rapidly as his nerves blew through the roof.

“Midoriya, both you and my friend Katara here knew there was more to the exam…” Tenya closed his eyes and shook in frustration to admitting the truth. “I misjudged you. As students, you both are superior to me!”  
  


Katara sweatdropped at her friends bluntness. “You need to work on your introductions, Iida.” She then turned to the boy and smiled. “As you heard from my friend, I am Katara. And you are… Midoriya?”

Not even able to speak, Midoriya just stood frozen as the blue eyed girl talked to him, _‘Holy crap, this beautiful girl introduced herself to me! And she said my name!’_

“Hey I remember you. Falling boy!”

Izuku felt his blood boil in embarrassment as he looked behind him and saw the same girl he saved in the entrance exam, taking everything he could not to feint. _‘Two cute girls talking to me!? High school is so_ _crazy_ _!’_

As the four of them talked and introduced themselves, Bakugo’s eyes focused on Izuku, a hatred burning inside of his chest.

‘ _Deku… you little bastard. I don’t know what the fuck you did, but I’ll figure out how you got in here.”_ He then looked to the tan girl next to his childhood classmate, his teeth clenching tighter. ‘ _And that bitch. Who the hell is she? She passed me in the entrance exam. I’m not gonna let that slide.’_

Feeling eyes on her, Katara turned around and met eyes with the enraged Bakugo. They both glared at each other, Bakugo sneering and looking away first. Katara took a deep inhale and sighed. She would have to watch out for him.

“So I really am excited for all this!” the young girl Uraraka said as she continued on her happy rant. “I’m curious what our teacher is like. This is gonna be so much fun!”

“If you are here just to make friends, you can pack up your stuff now and leave.”

All four of the students by the door froze to the flat and cold voice coming from the hall. Their eyes all turned to see… A large yellow sleeping bag? The only thing that told it was a person was the raggedy black hair and bloodshot eyes poking out the opening.

“It took eight seconds for you all to be quiet. Time is precious and you just wasted some of it.” The tired voice of the man came out as he unzipped the bag, his worn clothes hanging off his body as he walked towards the now silent class.

“Hello, I’m Shota Aizawa, you’re homeroom teacher.” He drearily declared to them all.

“Teacher?” Katara questioned out loud as the exhausted looking man came in. _‘_ _This guy is going to teach us? He looks like he doesn’t even want to be here!’_

Aizawa ignored the whispers the students were giving out to each other as he reached in his sleeping bag and pulled out a blue tracksuit. “Alright, lets just do this. Put these on and meet me outside…”

* * *

As she changed in the girls locker room, Katara looked down at herself as the new blue tracksuit slipped on perfectly over her body. She eyed it curiously as she looked to Mina next to her. “So both our school uniforms and our practice outfits all look the same?”

“Yep, that’s school policy for you.” Mina answered as she slipped on her tracksuit.

“Didn’t your school have the same thing where you went?”

Katara turned to the voice behind her, seeing a tall girl looking down at her. Her black, spiky ponytail stuck out behind her reminding her of a porcupig from her own world. Ignoring the odd visual, katara shook her head. “Well, no. I didn’t go to school here.”

The girl’s eyes widened when she realized who she was talking to. “Wait, you’re the exchange student that got first at the entrance exams? I heard so much about you from the others!”

“You did?” Katara asked.

“Yes. Most of the kids are talking about you. It’s amazing your score!” the tall girl gave a small bow. “Momo Yaoyorozu. Pleasure to meet you.”

Katara smiled and nodded her head. “Kairi Katara. Same to you. What did you get in the entrance Score?”

“Oh mine was different than yours. I was entered through recommendations.” Momo responded as she took off her jacket.

“recommendations? You mean you were…” Katara’s words faded when she watched Momo remove her shirt and reveal… quite the chest for a girl their age.

‘ _I-I mean that doesn’t matter about who people are but…’_ Katara subconsciously crossed her arms covering her own, smaller size, _‘… Damn that’s unfair!’_

“You okay?” Momo asked.

“Oh… sorry lost in thought for a second.” Katara forced a smile as tried to ignore the sight below the girls neckline. “So recommendations was a different test than what we did?”

“Yes, that is where a larger name agency or pro put in their request for certain students to enter UA.” Momo clenched her fist and brought it to her chest. “It is now my responsibility to do my best and excel since others gave me this chance!”

Katara raised an eyebrow at the girls determination. _‘Okay… she’s Iida if he was a girl.’_ she said to herself as her mind kept going back to that flame hero and what he said to her back then. “So… your test was with Todoroki?”

“Yes, he was pretty quiet, but had so much focus. He scored at the top of recommendations I believe.” Momo responded.

“I see.’’

“I saw your score, too. That was for sure something!” Uraraka added from the side, already dressed in her track suit. “I heard some of the others saw you in action and you were amazing.”

“I feel like I barely got in, and you simply blew through the test…” another short haired girl with jacks hanging from her ear said, “...That’s really cool. Kyoka Jiro by the way.”

Katara smiled and nodded. “Thanks, and I-

“Glad to meet you too! I’m Hagakure!”

Katara yelped in surprise by the floating UA uniform in front of her, realizing it was another girl… or what she assumed should have been one there. “H-hi there. Same here.”

The final girl in the locker room caught Katara’s eyes was one with large buggy eyes and wide mouth. Her green hair hung long down her hunched body. Not wanting to be rude, Katara nodded towards her too. “And nice to meet you, too. I’m Kairi Katara.”

“Thank you…’’ the girls raspy voice responded. “I’m Asui, but you can call me Tsu.”

“Tsu? I’ll remember that.” Katara smiled and stood up from the bench and started walking out with the other girls. “So what do you think he’s making us do?”

Uraraka shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea. These are their suits they use for physical training, but this is only the first day of school.”

Looking back forward, Katara followed as the other girls exited the locker room to a large outdoor field. Multiple different areas were designated for what looked like a range of different things people could use for training. Just passed all of those things were the rest of the other students all gathered together in front of the tired looking teacher. She walked over and stood next to Iida in the center of the group.

“So has he told you what we are all out here for?” she asked her friend.

Tenya shook his head. “No he has not. I am quite confused as well.”

“If you all would shut up I can get this over with fast.” Aizawa sighed to the chatter. “I brought you all here for a quirk assessment test.”

“A quirk assessment test?” Most of the students questioned together.

“Yes, most of you have been doing standardized testing most of your lives, but you were never able to use your quirks in physical exams.” Aizawa reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and what looked like a ball. “But here I get to run my class the way I see fit.”

The ragged teacher walked towards the students and popped his neck. “Bakugo, what was your record for the softball throw in Junior high?”

Bakugo raised his eyebrow to the question. “sixty seven meters, I think.”

“Alright, now try that with your quirk.” Aizawa said as he tossed the ball to the blonde. “Anything goes as long as you stay in the circle.”

The spiky haired blonde walked passed the teacher and into the white circle in the dirt, stretching his arms as he looked to the distance. _‘Alright, I’ll throw a little heat on this and drop their jaws.’_ He grinned as he winded back his arm and whipped it forward.

“DIE!”

A large blast erupted from his hand catapulting the ball through the sky. The rush of air reached the other students, blowing Katara’s hair back behind her face. Her eyes widened as she watched the dissipating explosion in front of her. Her mind went back to the three eyed bounty hunter she and her friends faced back in her world, except this kid could shoot those explosions out of his hands like a bender. She took a deep breath and frowned internally.

Things just kept getting better.

As the ball seemingly disappeared beyond their sight, Aizawa turned back to the crowd. “All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. That’s the most rational way of determining your potential as a pro hero.” He lifted the phone to the class revealing 705.2 meters.  
  


“woah thats crazy! Over seven hundred!?” a spiky red haired kid exclaimed.

“Wow that looks fun, I wanna try it!” Mina yelled out in excitement.

“Fun?” Aizawa’s cold gaze went to the happy pink girl. “You think this is all going to be fun and games here? Not so likely. Today you will compete in eight physical tests to see your potential.” His mouth curled up into a dark grin at the quiet students. “Whoever comes in last will have none, and will be expelled immediately.”

All of the students gasped in shock at the sudden revelation they had learned, many of their mouths hung open in disbelief.

“What, you can’t do that! It’s the first day of school, that isn’t fair!” Uraraka complained.

“Fair? The world isn’t a fair place for any of you…” Aizawa shot back as he stepped forward. “I run this class my way. Understand? If any of you have a problem with that. You can leave now and go home.”

Many of the kids were feeling the pressure coming onto them now, afraid of what may come. But Katara took a deep breath as she clenched her fists. She had her own struggles with her bending master in the beginning, and she wasn’t about to let this slow her down. She swallowed hard and readied herself.

* * *

Test 1: 50 Meter Dash

The class of students waited in pairs as two at a time sprinted down a small track as fast as they could. Katara was standing next to a taller boy who went by the name Sero, and noticed his odd looking elbows that stuck out awkwardly. She didn’t want to be rude though and tried not to stare at them and instead looked to the track Where Iida and Tsu were. And in the next moment, they were off.

Tenya of course took the lead, his legs launching him down the track in an instant. She then watched as Tsu hopped across the ground like a large frog, hence what Katara simply assumed her quirk was as well. In a rush of air, Tenya of course finished first with 3.04 seconds and Tsu with a 5.58.

“Kinda figured he was going to finish first.” She chuckled to herself as her and Sero lined up next.

The tall boy next to her grinned and crouched into position, pointing his right elbow forward. “Hey, no hard feelings about who gets first.”

Katara simply smiled and popped her canteen open. “Same here.”

At the sound of the timer, they kicked off. Katara immediately bended her water to her feet and rushed herself forward, shooting her across the dirt. Her eyes noticed a weird strip shoot passed her body and latch onto the ground ahead. Not wanting to be distracted, she looked straight ahead and kicked harder. She seemingly water skiing over the grounds surface, pushing her body faster and passed the timer at the end first between the two of them.

“ _4.35 seconds!”_ the machine called out.

“ _5.22 seconds!”_

Katara skidded to a stop at the and looked over to her opponent, his face simply amazed at her time. “Huh. Not bad.” he admitted.

“Thanks.” she responded. As she walked to the side, she noticed that Todoroki was next against Tokoyami, and immediately she was intrigued. She stepped to the side and watched as the two of them lined up.

‘ _Tokoyami has his shadow power…’_ she said to herself as they both crouched down, her eyes focused on the red and white haired boy, _‘...but I’ve seen how fast firebenders are pushing themselves.’_ When the timer sounded off however, she was left wide eyed as Shoto launched forward, and something very different came out from behind him.

“Ice!?” She said out loud in shock as Shoto blasted down the line as a trail of ice pushed his body along the track leading the pair.

“ _4.04 seconds!”_

“ _4.35 seconds!”_

‘He doesn’t have fire? But his father does…” Katara said to herself as he walked by her, his face stricken of any emotion. For someone who was the child of a top hero, a powerful quirk, and seemingly had life for himself going, she couldn’t help but notice the same look she had seen on her own friend back in her world. One that was always looking for something to fill an empty void in his life. And judging by the scar he received, she was thinking perhaps he had a scolding from his father he would never forget.

‘ _Maybe…_ _he won’t be like Azula….’_ She whispered inside, in fact hoping he could somehow be like the person she once knew.

She would have to try and talk to him later. But for now, she looked back as more classmates took their turns sprinting down the line to not lose this chance at being cut. And she had seven more tests ahead of her.

What she didn’t realize however… were two sets of eyes staring at her.

First, Midoriya couldn’t take his eyes off of the tan girl standing on the side of the track watching the others run down the line. Yes she was definitely cute, for sure. Any boy would be an idiot not to have her catch their eye. But there was something else. Something that kept bugging him from the moment he saw her. And when he watched her use the water, it started eating at him more.

‘ _I don’t know why, but there’s something about her…’_ he whispered internally, his hand grabbing his chin, _‘...but it’s like… I’ve seen her before from somewhere.’_

The other was of Shoto Todoroki. While he didn’t appear to before, he had noticed the stares he was receiving from her. The reason he watched her however, was the same to Midoriya.

‘ _It can’t be her, there’s no way. But…’_ his left fist clenched, eyes narrowing as he watched her, _‘… she looks just like that girl from what I saw...’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohh some strange events taking place now. uploading these faster here while i catch up to the current chapters on fanfiction.
> 
> till next time


	10. Challenger

Test 2: Grip Strength

Holding the odd device in her hand, Katara looked around as other kids began squeezing there’s as hard as they could. Some like the red headed boy Kirishima suddenly turned his hands into what looked like stone and squeezed, his score shooting up to 223.5 KG. She then turned to Tenya and watched his face turning purple as his cheeks puffed out from his strain.

“Woah, easy. Take a breath!” She warned him as he continued squeezing.

Finally inhaling, he gasped out as his hand finally loosened his grip. He looked down and frowned when his score came up. “75.2 KG. That is very disappointing.”

“Well your quirk is a speed boost. It can’t do your entire body.” She said trying to make him feel better.

“But if I lack in one field I should be training harder to compensate for that!” he shouted in determination.

Katara rolled her eyes at his attitude and patted his shoulder. “You take yourself way too seriously.”

He frowned and crossed his arms. “Alright, missy. Let us see what you can do.”

looking down at her own device, she was about to use just her hand before she noticed Momo… had some kind of clamp come out of her skin through a glowing patch!?

She watched in awe as the ponytailed girl set the item she created and put it on her own grip strength machine. Katara then remembered how Aizawa mentioned to use your quirk to your advantage, deciding to encase her hand in water and wrap it around the machine and squeezed with her left, and simultaneously used bending with the other to magnetize the pressure. After struggling for a few moments, she hit her max and released the device, and both her and Tenya’s eyes widened.

“254.7 KG? Astonishing.” Tenya said out loud.

“Yeah… I had no idea what it was going to be either.” Katara admitted, surprised herself by the score.

_Crack!_

Both of their heads turned back to Momo, the girl blushing in embarrassment as her clamp had snapped the grip she had. “I’m sorry sensei. I can pay for that!”

“Okay, that’s not even fair.” Katara frowned at the creationist’s ability.

* * *

Test 3: Standing long Jump

The long sand pit was as basic as it got. Just… a big sandbox.

Katara watched as several of the kids simply tried jumping and could barely clear half of it. Then there was Bakugo who seemingly flew across the whole pit.

Now that she was up, Katara took a deep breath and enveloped her arms in water. She latched onto the ground several feet in front of her and leaned back against the liquid building pressure. When she was ready, she yanked forward propelling herself through the air, watching the pit pass below as she started coming down. She reached with her legs and landed with a thud just on the other side of the pit.

“Phew… closer than I would have liked…” She chuckled to herself. She knew others had passed it easily and she barely cleared it. Things were kind of interesting for her.

She then caught sight of Midoriya lining up. She watched him brace his legs, waiting for that powerful rush Tenya told her head had and… Barely made it half way in the pit.

“Did he not use his power?” She wondered as she watched the defeated boy crawl off the ground, his face filled with worry. “Has he not been using his quirk this whole time?”

* * *

Test 4: Repeated side steps

“Now these are starting to feel pointless…” Katara sighed as she watched Kirishima hopping back and forth over a line. He huffed as he pushed off the ground every time, his face straining as he tried going faster before Aizawa clicked his stop watch.

“Time.”

Frowning at his seemingly low score, Kirishima grunted and stomped off. “Man, my quirk is useless for this test!” he yelled in annoyance.

Next up was someone who looked like he should have been at home with his parents still. The small boy suddenly began popping little purple balls off his head and forming little mounds on each side of him. Katara watched the strange act until the little boy grinned to the crowd.

“Time to get bouncing.” Mineta snickered.

Katara’s eyes widened in surprise as he started whipping between the two stacks he made, having to whistle in amazement as the little guy bounced off each thing. “Okay that is pretty creative.”

After he was done, Mineta smirked and walked off the line passed the taller Katara, his eyes taking a sneak look behind to see the girls back end. “You can touch my balls there if you want. But be warned… you may not want to let go.”

The sexual innuendo shot through Katara’s ears like an ice spike, her head slowly turning back to the little pervert. Even Bakugo felt a cold chill run through the air from the look she gave.

“You want to say that again to me?”

Mineta’s lip sucked in so tight he probably couldn’t have spoken the rest of the day.

* * *

Test 5: Ball Throw

Now they were back to the original test that started the whole thing off. Katara waited behind Momo as she conjured what looked like some sort of cannon, shoving the ball into the end of it and pressing the trigger.

BOOM!

The class all stepped back in shock as the explosion launched the ball far into the sky and disappear beyond view. Aizawa turned the phone and showed the score.

“1,647 meters!? Woah!” Mina gasped.

Katara chuckled as she watched Momo move the cannon to the side and out of the way. “Now I really would call that cheating.”

Yaoyorozu giggled and closed her open sports shirt. “He said use my quirk, so I am.”

“Yeah, and now I have to follow that…” Katara sighed and walked up to the spot. She grabbed the next ball from the stack and spun it in her hand.

“Use my quirk, huh…” she thought out loud. Pulling a long stream of water from her canteen, she enveloped her entire arm and strung the ball onto the very end of it. She stretched out the water whip far behind her head, taking a deep breath before rushing forward. With a forceful whip, the water snapped forward and ended with a loud crack. The ball rushed through the air down the field, with their teacher once again flipping the phone around.

“350.6 meters? That’s a really good score!” Uraraka cheered from the crowd. “I wanna try it next!”

Katara smiled and stepped out of the way, hoping at least her score would seem impressive for a bit.

And then Uraraka threw it.

And it kept going.

And going.

And going.

  
The waterbenders smile completely faded as the entire class sat jawdropped to the never ending toss this girl just made. So much for that idea.

“Jeez, I don’t think anyone wants to follow that one.” Kaminari chirped in as most of the others still murmured in amazement.

One was to follow next, and sure enough… it was Midoriya.

Katara watched as the boy seemingly sulked towards the spot, his eyes seeming to lack the confidence he needed. She had noticed he was either towards or at the very bottom with every test. It seemed like everything he was trying to do was just by himself and never using his quirk. But no matter what it was, he didn’t look like he had a chance to make it.

Midoriya himself was feeling the pressure of where he was, but it was for the risk of his new power. He had no idea how to control his quirk yet, but he couldn’t stop here.

‘ _All Might gave me this power so I can become a hero. He did this for me…’_ His eyes burned a new fire as he stepped forward and winded his arm back. He whipped it forward, immediately feeling the surge run through his arm ready to burst out. _‘...And I won’t let him down!’_

He threw it… but it fell flat under fifty meters.

“Wh-what happened? I was for sure trying to use it that time…” Midoriya stuttered in shock.

“I erased your quirk.”

All of the students looked in fright and shock as the rags floated up around their teachers neck, his hair standing on end as well. The icing on the cake was the bright red glow his eyes now had, focused on the terrified Izuku.

“The judges for this exam were not rational enough…” Aizawa coldly stated, “… someone like you should never be enrolled here.”

“You… erased it?” Midoriya slowly asked, but went eyed eyed when he saw the goggles hanging around Aizawa’s neck. “Wait, I know you…. You are able to cancel out someone’s powers by looking at them. You’re… Erasurehead!”

Katara felt a shiver run up her back when she heard that. ‘Wait. He can what?’

Her mind immediately replayed the many times she encountered that chi blocker friend of Azula’s back in her world. The way Tai Lee could come in, hit your pressure points and take away your bending. But this… this man simply had to look at you and he could take your abilities away? That was something truly terrifying. But what scared her was the thought if he tried using that on her. Would his ability erase her bending? Or would it not, and then cause trouble for her since others would see she has something else entirely.

She took a deep breath and hoped it never came to that.

Aizawa kept his cold glare towards the shaking green haired boy. “Look at you, you have no control of your power. Are you planning on breaking your bones and having someone else save you?”

“what? No, that’s not at all what I- Agh”

Midoriya was cut off as Aizawa whipped part of his cloth out and wrapped him, yanking him closer.

“You are a danger to be out in the field. You use your quirk and then you are useless. You would be nothing more than a liability in battle.” Aizawa’s brow furrowed as he leaned in towards the terrified student, “What are you going to do? Save one person and then be completely helpless and need rescuing? What kind of a hero is that?”

Releasing his grip, Aizawa’s hair and rags fell back down, his eyes blinking and the glow disappearing. “I returned your impractical quirk. Hurry up and make your final throw.”

While the scolding teacher may have seemed harsh, Katara knew if what he was saying was accurate, it would be hard for him to do anything. She looked over to Tenya and nudged his arm. “You said he broke his arm during the exam?”

Tenya nodded. “Yes, it was when he punched the robot at the end.”

A chuckle escaped from Bakugo’s mouth to their right, earning a glare from Katara. “What’s so funny?”

“I bet you Deku there simply broke his hand by hitting metal like a dumbass.” he scoffed out. “He has always been a quirkless loser.”

“What do you mean? He destroyed one of those large robots during the test!” Tenya exclaimed.

“Bakugo sneered at that statement. “You were just seeing things four eyes. There’s no way that worthless little-

“SMASH!”

All of them were silenced by the massive shockwave erupting out from Midoriya. Katara’s eyes widened as the shockwave from his throw reached her and blew her braid out behind her, mouth agape in both shock and amazement. “Woah… and you said he didn’t have a quirk!?”

Every other student was left bewildered as they saw the score revealed. “705.3 meters!? That’s insane!” Kaminari gasped out.

Midoriya looked over to his wide eyed teacher, his face a mix of both pain and satisfaction. “Aizawa sensei…” He paused as he clenched his fist, his pointer finger a deepened red from breaking. “You see? I’m still standing!”

Aizawa couldn’t help but smirk to this boys determination. “This kid!”

while they were all impressed, Bakugo felt his hands shaking in a mix of emotions he couldn’t even explain. His eyes were locked onto his childhood aquaintence, his blood coming to a boil. _‘Deku… what the hell? Did you just… have…’_

Like an enraged bull, the explosion user burst forward hands out. “Deku you bastard! You’ve been toying with me this whole time, haven’t you!?”

Katara watched in shock as Bakugo rushed passed them, seeing the killer intent in his eyes. “What is he doing? He really going to attack him!?”

Before she could even say anything else however, the furious blonde was entrapped in a pair of wraps catching his face and yanking him backwards. “What the hell!?” Bakugo’s eyes widened in surprise as he tried to pull at the membrane, but couldn’t even budge them. “That the hell is this stuff!?”

“Quit making me use my quirk…” Aizawa shot out as he pulled bakugo back, his glowing eyes filled with annoyance, “… It gives me dry eye!”

Releasing the angered student, Aizawa walked over and stood directly in front of him. “Now I don’t know what kind of crap you got against each other, and frankly I don’t care. But in my class you tow the line, or you can take your backpack and find another school, you got it?”

Feeling the material release, Bakugo gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut. His eyes shot a cold glare to the frightened Midoriya, their eyes locked for a few moments before turning away and walking back to the sidelines.

Katara stared intently at the ill tempered Bakugo as he hunched his shoulders and glared at the ground. She knew he had a temper just by their small interaction, but she saw something else inside him. Something that really made her uncomfortable. She really would have to keep an eye out for him.

* * *

Test 6: Toe Touch

The last three tests were certainly much more straight forward than the other ones from before. The first was a toe touch. Katara raised an eyebrow and looked to the teacher as she casually leaned and held her feet. “This is really a test?”

Aizawa didn’t look up from his clipboard as he pointed behind her. “You’d be surprised.”  
  


She turned around and raised an eyebrow to the large quiet kid known as Koda, the poor guy barely able to reach passed his knees. “Ah… I see.”

* * *

Test 7: Sit ups

Next the sit ups, where everyone simply laid on the ground and did crunches. In the second group, Katara rolled fluidly up and down as Tenya held her feet in place, the punctual teen keeping her updated.

“Forty. Forty one. Forty two. Forty three. Forty-

“That isn’t necessary.” Katara huffed out between crunches.

“I’m making sure you do not forget. Focus is very important when-

“Yeah... that is making it hard.” She grunted as she hit fifty.

“Wow, check it out, we got a challenge going on.” Mina giggled as she stood to the side.

“Huh?” Katara almost faltered as she turned and looked over to the side, realizing only one other still going in her group. And that was Todoroki. His eyes met hers as they both continued going up and down, a determination set in is gaze.

Furrowing her brow, Katara wasn’t one to put down a challenge and pushed forward. Her abs were feeling a burn, but she was used to a life of strenuous training and refused to give up. She pushed harder, wincing as she hit sixty.

“Damn, look at her go!” Kaminari cheered out, “Keep going!”

“Wow, I gave up at forty.” Uraraka groaned as she felt her still sore stomach.

Grunting, Katara sweated as she forced her body up again, a burning sensation rushing though her stomach. The pain was getting worse, her face twisting in pain as she laid back again. Her eyes wandered to Shoto once more, and watched his own face sweating but still pushing at a decent pace. It seemed like he was struggling but still could keep going, where her pain was getting worse.

After two more, she felt her abs finally hit her limit, falling back and wincing in pain. She laid there panting, her hand reached up and wiped her damp forehead. She felt a comforting tap on her knee from her friend.

“That was exceptional, Katara. You ended up with seventy four!” Tenya exclaimed.

Katara didn’t answer as she forced her body up, gripping her sore stomach and looking over to Shoto who had done six more than her. He was breathing hard himself, but his eyes were set at his feet and not shifting. Suddenly the other students all began chirping in unison to the end results.

“Now that is a badass way to go out. Nice job to both of you!” Kirishima gave a thumbs up to the two of them.

“You were amazing Katara. That was good. Ribbit.” Tsu chimed in.

“I should have figured the top two aces would go head to head here.” Mina giggled as she stretched her arms. “I doubt I’ll get that close but I’ll try.”

Smiling to all the compliments, Katara forced herself off the ground and tried to stretch the sharp pain out of her stomach. Looking over to Todoroki, she watched as he drank from the fountain on the side. While she did have a bad taste in her mouth because of who his father was, she knew far too well that a child shouldn’t be judged for what their parent was. Perhaps she could be the one to break the ice first.

Walking over, she bent over and drank from the fountain next to him, getting back up and wiping her mouth. “Hey, good job there.” she said as he dried off his neck. She gave a small smile waiting for him to finish, but let it fall as he simply looked at her for several moments. His two colored eyes never left her before turning around and walking away.

“Thanks…” he quietly answered, not looking back towards her.

While not completely blown off, Katara could definitely feel the tension in the air as he left the room and went outside. “What was that about?”

* * *

The final test was a simple long distance run doing laps around the school track. Iida to no surprise of Katara easily kept pace at the front of the class, hardly breaking a sweat. “Should have expected that with your kind of quirk.” Katara chuckled as she kept her own decent pace.

“You seem to know that Iida pretty well…” Mina said as she huffed next to Katara. “...you meet him recently?”

“No, actually I’m living at his families home. That was through that program I told you, remember?” Katara answered.

“What?” Mina gasped, “Living with a classmate? That’s kinda odd.”

“Not like I planned that…” Katara sighed, “… it uh… kinda just happened.”

Mina lifted an eyebrow but gave a quick shrug. “Alrighty. So… expect this on the first day?”

“Not really…” Katara exhaled, “… You?”

“Heck no. I figured all talking. But this is kinda cool to actually try out our quirks on things.” Mina grinned and looked to the others around. “And we got some other cool quirks here, too.”

Looking ahead of them, her eyes found the red and white hair of Todoroki bouncing just after Tenya. Her mind thinking of the ice once again. “Yeah… cool.”

* * *

After the all the students finally cooled down, they all gathered by the gym entrance where they all started. Aizawa inputed the final scores to his phone and added the averages to the final chart. “Now for all of you, most probably have a good idea where you stand. In case you were curious, here are the final results.”

Waiting in anxiety, a few of the students wiggled back and forth as they hoped their names wouldn’t be at the bottom. When the screen illuminated in front of them, there were a few surprises in the rankings.

Rankings

1\. Momo Yaoyorozu

2.Shoto Todoroki

3.Katsuki Bakugo

4\. Kairi Katara

5\. Tenya Iida

6\. Fumikage Tokoyami

7\. Mezo Shoji

8.Mashirao Ojiro

9.Ejiro Kirishima

10.Mina Ashido

11\. Ochaco Uraraka

12.Koji Koda

13\. Tsuyu Asui

14\. YugaAoyama

15.Hanta Sero

16.Kenki Kaminari

17.Kyoka Jiro

18.Toru Hagakure

19.Minoru Mineta

20\. Izuku Midoriya

Katara sighed in relief as she saw where her name was. While she was sure she had done better than most, it still felt better to actually know the rankings. “Wow, we both did pretty good, Iida.” She said to her friend next to her.

Tenya nodded to her and grinned. “Yes, we both did. Congratulations Katara.”

Iida turned back the board and gave a small smile to being towards the top of the class. He was also happy seeing Katara do so well, for he knew she was very talented. But… he couldn’t help but bite down slightly at seeing her name in the position above him. He wasn’t mad of course… its just he wasn’t exactly sure what he felt.

‘ _So… you beat me again.’_ He sighed internally. He took a deep breath, clenching his fist and looking down at it. He knew he wasn’t mad, but to lose again… it just left an odd taste in his mouth . _‘Time for some more training.’_

Katara looked back to the board and looked at the other standings. With… whatever power Yaoyorozu had it was no surprise she made the top spot. Then there were the other two above her, making her slightly bite her tongue in distaste, but had to admit there abilities were very impressive. Her eyes then noticed the last place spot, and felt her heart ache slightly.

“Oh no…” She whispered and looked over towards Midoriya.

She could see the disappointed look in his eyes, sweat beginning to form on his forehead. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him and decided to at least make him feel better. She walked over and patted his shoulder. “Hey… I’m really sorry Modoriya.”

His eyes slowly turned to her and felt his breath catch in his throat having a girl so close to him, but the pain of seeing his ranking was overpowering that feeling. He looked back to the ground and swallowed. “Th-thank you. It’s a-alright I guess…” he barely stuttered out.

Aizawa turned off his projector and looked back to the class. “Oh and I lied. No one is going home today.”

“WHAT!?” Most of the class screamed out in shock, including Midoriya who nearly passed out right there.

“I just figured it would make you all try your best with some pressure.” The dreary teacher responded with a grin, “… Just a little deception.”

Momo looked over to the others and sighed. “It was pretty obvious from the beginning honestly. I should have said something.”

Katara rolled her eyes and looked back to Midoriya, his face nearly a pasty white from shock. “Well… I guess that’s a relief now.” She chuckled.

Aiazwa put his phone away and walked away from the kids. “Now being it’s already towards the end of the day, it’s not worth going back to class for twenty minutes. So go get changed and head on home. Be ready for tomorrow.”

Midoriya couldn’t say anything as he felt a wave wash over his body. One moment he was about to be sent home for completely failing this test, and now he was still here. High school was too much for him!

“I t-thought he was going to send- OW!” he yelped as he gripped his broken finger.

Katara looked down to his bandaged finger and remembered him using his power. _‘Wow, it really does hurt him.’_

She then remembered… there was something she could do to help a little. “Hey if you want I can help soothe that injury.”

Midoriya face turned deep red to her offer and quickly started waving his hands back and forth. “Oh d-don’t worry! I’ll go to recovery girl and get it fixed up right away!”

“Oh… alright then. Take care.” she watched as he quickly turned around and sprinted towards the boys locker rooms ahead of the others.

“Watch it Deku, you annoying little shit!” Bakugo screamed out as the sprinting boy ran passed him, making katara glare at him.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” She yelled at him, “Why do you have something against him?”

Bakugo stopped and turned around. “What did you say?” he growled at her.

“You. What is your deal with Midoriya? Why are you being such a jerk to him?” she shot back at him.

He clenched his fists and gave a quick spit to the ground. “It’s none of your damn business, so why don’t you just butt out?” he shouted before stomping away. “Besides, you should watch yourself. You may have beat my score in the entrance exam, but I already passed you today. Soon I’m gonna be the one in that number one spot at this stupid school.”

Katara glared as the unstable blonde walked passed the other students on edge from the little standoff they watched, many quite surprised by her attitude standing up to the angry kid. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and walked towards her own locker room, rubbing her neck to relax her nerves.

“Phew… you got some fire in you, girl.” Jiro chuckled as she walked by Katara.

Katara looked over to her in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“You. Not many wanna say anything to that dude. He’s got quite the hot head and yet you simply called him out. Nice.” Jiro laughed and nudged the water bender’s arm.

Hearing that Katara just rolled her eyes. “What is his problem? He just looks likes he’s ready to snap at anything.”

“Eh, he may be more bark than bite. Maybe he just needs a good ass kicking sometime.” Jiro responded.

“I think he is just really hot headed.” Tsu added with the other girls. “Like he has never lost before.”

“Hey, good job out there...” Momo said as she came to Katara’s side. “… I’m really impressed.”

Katara chuckled out loud to the compliment, walking inside the doors and sitting on one of the benches. “Me? You did the best out there. You were the one who did a good job.”

Momo smiled but waved her hand. “It’s nothing special, just using my quirk.”

“Yeah… what is that by the way?”Katara asked as she stripped off her tracksuit. “… you can just make things?”

Momo nodded. “Yes, I can create any item that I desire as long as I know what it is made of.”

“Wow, that’s a really neat ability.” the waterbender responded.

“Well I have to know the molecular structure of the item I am making, and it uses lipids in my body so there is a limit to how much I can create.”

Katara raised her eyebrow. “Lipids?”

Momo chuckled. “Fats.”

“Oh. Okay.” Katara’s eyes trailed down as Momo stripped her own tracksuit off, revealing her near perfectly shaped body, bringing a small frown to the waterbenders face.

‘ _So she can simply burn up fat whenever she wants. No wonder she looks that amazing.’_ she thought in slight jealousy, slipping her normal uniform back onto her body.

“So, what did you all think of today?” Uraraka asked happily. “I thought it was really cool to see everyone in our class use there quirks.”

“Yeah, I think its awesome to see everyone go at it!” Toru cheered out, her floating shirt bouncing up and down in the air. “I hope I don’t fall behind everyone else!”

Katara couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched the seemingly floating clothes get removed, leaving nothing but a floating bra in the air. “I will say you would be really good at sneaking up on people… but you’d have to take everything off.”

Steam seemed to rise out of nowhere from Toru’s embarrassed face. “I know… but it still so nerve racking!”

“But being so sneaky is pretty rad!” Uraraka added from the side.

Katara couldn’t help but smile at the others chatting and joking with each other. So far it seemed like most of her classmates she was getting along with good so far. Of course… there were a few she was a bit hesitant with so far.

‘ _Maybe it will get better at least…’_ she thought to herself as she slipped on her school jacket.

“Hey, since we are all here, why don’t we exchange numbers?” Mina asked everyone.

Uraraka smile grew across her face as she heard that. “Yeah that’s a good idea! So if we need help with something we can just get a hold of each other.”

Katara froze mid motion at that. _‘Wait… numbers?’_ She then watched as some of them pulled out their phones, her eyes widening as she remembered the one she was given earlier. _‘shit, how do I work that thing!?’_

Mina finished typing in Jiro’s number when she looked over to Katara sitting there. “Aren’t you gonna do the same?”

“Oh, uhh funny thing…” Katara blushed and rubbed the back of her head as she pulled her own phone out. “… I just got this today, so I don’t know how this works. He he…”

Mina tilted her head in confusion. “Well if you don’t know your new number yet why don’t you just insert ours?”

“Well…” Katara looked away to hide her reddening cheeks, “… I’ve never actually owned a cell phone before, so I REALLY don’t know how it works.”

“WHAT!?” a few of them yelled in shock. “You’ve never owned a phone? How!?”

“Like I told you…” katara shrugged to Mina, “...my village was pretty isolated.”

“Well you did, but…” Mina scratched her forehead, “… wow.”

Momo shook her head in disbelief. “I have to say, I really don’t know how I could have gone for so long without having one. Here let me see that.” she asked reaching towards the waterbenders phone. “We can add our numbers to yours and send it to us.”

“Oh… well okay then.” Katara said as she handed the phone over. She finished getting changed as she watched her phone passed girl to girl, each of them typing into it and saying they sent something to themselves.

“I’ll really need to figure out how that thing works soon…” she chuckled to herself.

* * *

After finishing up, Katara made her way out through the school hallways and back towards the main entrance. She eyed the phone in her hand, sliding her finger across the screen as it opened up. She stared in awe as the image changed to a list of different symbols lining the front. “Woah, this thing really is interesting.”

She had no idea what half of them were, but heard the others mentioning “contacts” with each other. She then saw one of those items say the same thing, so she clicked on that one, changing the screen to a list of names. She read through the different names that were there; Ashido, Madoka Iida, Tensei Iida, Tenya Iida , Kyoka, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu. She eyed them curiously and clicked on Tenya’s name, and another two symbols popped up of what looked like a phone and a letter.

“Huh… I think that’s how you talk to someone.” she said out loud and shut it off, putting it back in her pocket. “I’ll really have to figure this out soon.”

She passed through the front doors and saw Tenya waiting there for her, his smile meeting her as she approached. “Greetings Katara, look like it’s time to head on home.”

She was about to answer with a sarcastic “no crap”, but her eyes took notice of Midoriya passing by them, his face deep in thought as he walked down the steps of the school.

“Hey Midoriya, your finger better?” She called out to him.

He froze mid step and looked back to her, his face turning bright red again. “Y-yes it is! Thanks for asking!” his eyes barely able to look at hers.

“You went to Recovery girl and she healed her finger? That was very wise.” Tenya added as he walked over towards the green haired boy. “It is quite fortunate that Aizawa Sensei did not keep his promise of sending last place home today. You are still able to continue your studies here.”

Midoriya rubbed the back of his head and gave a small chuckle. “Y-yeah, pretty lucky I would say. I’m just heading to the train station now.”

“Oh so are we, why don’t we go together then?” Katara happily said next to them, bringing another wave of heat through Midoriya’s cheeks.

‘ _She wants to walk with me to the train station!? Oh gosh!’_ He screamed internally. “S-sure, that sounds good!”

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, joining the two of them as they all walked down the steps. “It was odd why he lied about sending someone home for testing low.”

“Oh, Aizawa sensei?” Tenya responded, “I was concerned by his approach after class, but I judge the schools judgement for appointing him a teacher.”

“Yeah, but we are all still here at least.” Katara added.

“Hey, wait up you guys!”

They all turned to see Uraraka running towards them, a big smile on her face. “You all going to the station? I’ll join you!”

Katara smiled as the brown haired girl came up to them. “Yeah, we are. Let’s all go together then.”

“Thanks! Me and Katara have already introduced each other, but I’m Ochaco Uraraka, nice to meet you.” Uraraka happily said, eyeing the other two, “Let’s see… you’re Tenya Iida. And you are… Deku, right? Midoriya?”

“Deku!?” Midoriya gasped out, making Uraraka’s eyebrow raise.

“Uhh, yeah… isn’t that what Bakugo called you?”

“W-well my name is Izuku, but Kachaan calls me that when he’s making fun of me…” Midoriya responded.

Katara frowned thinking back to hearing him that one Bakugo yelling that back on the field. “So he’s insulting you by calling you that?”

Despite the others feeling uncomfortable to the reveal, Uraraka simply smiled again, “Well I like Deku. I think it would make a great hero name. Plus I think it sounds kinda cute.”

“DEKU IT IS!”

Tenya gasped at Midoriya’s sudden change of perspective, his arm chopping in front of him. “You cannot simply change on a dime like that! His insult should not be accepted!”

Katara simply laughed for a few moments at their antics, Tenya looking at her curiously. “What is so funny?”

“I think it really isn’t a bad name honestly. And besides…” She smiled over to the blushing green haired boy, “… it can’t hurt if you use it.”

He looked in confusion to her statement. “What do you mean?”

“I mean if you accept that name as your own, him trying to insult you with it will be pointless. You make it yours and he loses his strength over you.”

Midoriya sat silent for a few moments to her words, realizing what she told him actually made so much sense. Over the last several years he had grown so used to hearing the word Deku he simply would respond to it, but he always tried to disavow it when others heard it. Maybe… using it for himself would be the best thing he could do.

“Y-yeah, maybe I should…” He gave a small smile to the two girls. “Thanks.”

They both smiled as they continued walking together towards the train station. For Katara, her first day of school was quite the interesting one. She saw there was so many new and interesting powers that would have probably made her feint if she saw them the first day she came here. There were a few in the class she was not a fan of so far, but she figured there would always be those few who don’t mesh with others. She then looked to her left and watched the other three chatting happily with each other, bringing another smile to her face.

She felt like she was making some interesting and good friends so far.

Midoriya was feeling the same way, he had struggled for so many years to make friends due to his childhood life. Always the one pushed to the side due to being quirkless, the outcast and unpopular. And now, he was in the greatest school in Japan, and being accepted by the others as friendly equals. His own eyes found their way to Katara, his mind once again scrambling to why it was bothering him.

‘ _I can’t put my mind to it now. But for now…’_ he smiled again as he saw her laughing with Uraraka, _‘… I’ll think about it later. I have new friends now, and I need to focus on getting better with my quirk.’_

* * *

Across Tokyo, the lone Shoto Todoroki made his way down the sidewalk towards his home. His dual colored eyes were not focused on anything, for his mind was too focused on the certain classmate he had encountered. He still couldn’t believe it, but it seemed like he had completed his search.

“There is no mistake about it… it is her.” he told himself as he walked up to the front door of his place. He opened it up and was met with a familiar face.

“Oh hey Shoto!” his older sister Fuyumi yelled out from the kitchen, her white hair streaked with red bouncing as she rounded the corner. “How was your first day of school?”

“It was fine…” he blandly responded as he took his shoes off. “You are home early.”

“Yeah, I finished work ahead of schedule so they gave me the rest of the day off.” She answered, “So, you want something to eat?”

“I am fine. I need to do some things now.” he nodded and walked towards his room.

“Oh, by the way…” She hesitated slightly knowing he wouldn’t like hearing this. “… Dad wanted you to call him after school, said he needed to talk about something.”

Shoto felt his blood boil slightly at the request, his brow furrowing as he continued forward. “I’m busy.”

“You know he will be upset…” She warned him.

“Yeah?” he sneered as he opened his door, “… When the hell is he not?”

He shut the door and locked it behind him. He threw his backpack to the side, taking a breath to calm himself. He didn’t care if his old man was upset at him or not, for the bastard was always pissed at something in life. Grunting, he walked over to the computer on his desk and turned it on.

“Now… let’s see that once again.” he hissed as he opened up the image folder and scrolled through. Once he found the one he was looking for, he felt his heart jump as his guess was finally confirmed.

“There you are…”

He remembered four months ago when his father came home more pissed off than usual, the enraged hero smashing several sets of equipment in his training room. Then he came across several news articles speaking of a strange quirk user causing trouble in Hosu, but there was denial from the police and others claiming it to be false information being spread. After a few weeks, bigger stories took center stage, and the rumors had all but been swept away and forgotten. And then, one day… Shoto stumbled across his father’s open email, and a single document sent to him from the chief of police himself.

It was a single image, one that the articles had used, although those were somewhat hazy and not perfectly clear. This was the original, and was as clear as any. He had copied it and sent it to himself, and had probably looked at it nearly everyday since. It was of his father in the street, his own fire erupting from his fist and colliding with a stream of water. But the water was not what the teen was looking at. His eyes were looking at the one manipulating the water.

“I finally found you…” He coldly stated as his right hand formed ice over his keyboard, eyes staring at Katara.


	11. Time to Suit Up

Stretching his arms out, Tensei popped his shoulders as he slowly rolled out of bed. He didn’t even bother setting his alarm this morning, knowing he had the day off. He made his way out of his bedroom, groaning as he rubbed his neck He then looked up to surprise at Katara sitting at the kitchen table, her nose buried into her phone. He couldn’t help but chuckle at sight.

“So you have become more normalized.”

She yelped in surprise at the sudden voice to her right, her eyes softening when she saw him. “Sorry, was a bit distracted. I thought you were already at work.”

“I have the day off, but I need to do research into some recent cases.”

She looked up curiously at hearing that. “New cases? Did something happen?”

Tensei felt his face tense up at the question, something she obviously caught onto. “Oh… I shouldn’t pry into your-

“No it’s not your fault…” Tensei responded with a soft smile, “… It’s just this one is a little more serious than a simple robbery. I don’t feel too comfortable talking about this one.”

Katara suddenly felt a bit on edge to his choice to hold back. Most things he dealt with at work he was completely open to, talking about what kind of villains he dealt with or the severity of the crimes. Even assault cases he would talk to her and Tenya about. But for him not want to explain this one, she figured it must have been pretty serious.

“Okay, no problem. You don’t need to talk about it.” She answered.

He smiled and walked over to the fridge. “So, I got home late last night so I couldn’t talk much. How did your first day go?”

“It actually went good. We did a quirk test to see how well we compared to the others.”

He raised an eyebrow at what she said. “And you did well with your… quirk?”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Yes, my ‘quirk’ worked well. I actually placed fourth.”

“Oh? Impressive!” he happily responded. “I knew you would do well. What about Tenya?”

“He did really good too. He got fifth.”

Tensei smirked at her. “You beat him?”

Katara gave a small shrug. “I mean as an average. He outdid me in several different things though.”

The elder Iida simply turned and grabbed the milk out of the fridge. _‘Seems like Tenya has a little competition.’_ he chimed internally, pouring himself a glass. He turned back and looked back to her phone on the table. “So you figure that thing out yet?”

The waterbender rubbed her head. “Uh… not really. I was looking at different things like messaging and stuff. I’m going to make sure I know what I’m doing before I just send a… oh a text, I think?”

Tensei laughed at her lack of knowledge, in fact feeling a bit jealous. “I have to say, I wish more teens didn’t know how to use phones like you. That means they actually need to talk to people.”

A knock on the door alerted both of them. “Katara, we must get going if we are to make it on time!” Tenya yelled from the other side.

Looking down to her annoyed face, Tensei just sipped his milk. “Hey, you have to deal with his punctual timing now.”

“Yeah, I figured that…” Katara chuckled and slipped her backpack on. “… I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” Tensei watched as she opened the door and exited his place, leaving him alone. Knowing what he had to do now, he let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead for a few moments. “No time to waste on this one.” he said to himself.

He walked into his office, sitting in front of his computer and opened up the document he had downloaded late last night. The next moment, a gruesome image of blood sprayed across the ground in a dirty alleyway. In the center of the crimson puddle laid the body of a young man, his white and black costume torn in several spots and a deep puncture into his chest. Tensei felt a sick feeling in his stomach as he looked at the corpse, his eyes diverted to the caption below.

**Pro hero Banshee slain in Fuketsu. Body discovered after midnight.**

“This is the third attack recently…” Tensei growled as his hand tightened on the mouse. “… His crimes have been increasing lately.”

He opened up a map of Japan, looking at the location of the latest victimized hero and saw they were getting closer towards Tokyo. His eyes focused in a tight glare as he looked back to the dead body above.

“Where are you, hero killer?”

* * *

Making their way down the station steps, Katara and Tenya passed by other students as they all walked towards their destination.

“So another day at hero school.” Katara said with a smile. “They made us test out our abilities yesterday, so now I am curious on what they will make us do now.”

“I agree. I usually am always updated on what form of curriculum we would be studying, but UA doesn’t advertise their schedule online like normal schools. They only allow those inside during school hours to see the classes.” Tenya rambled out.

Katara looked back forward at the incoming school. “Well I guess we are about to find out.”

* * *

“Wow… Did not expect this.” Katara groaned as she listened to Present Mic going over different forms of grammar.

“Alright, now which is the correct punctuation to use in a sentence that shows excitement?” The yellow haired teacher read out to the bored class, with only Tenya and Momo actively responding on most occasions.

Leaning on her hand, Katara took a deep yawn as she struggled to stay awake. She figured school would have done some basic things like Tenya had been teaching her, but she assumed being a hero school would have been… well, all about heroes. She let her eyes wander around, looking at the other students struggling to keep their heads from falling over. She then glanced over to her left, and felt her hair stand on end when she was met with Todoroki staring at her from the corner of his eye.

Their eyes held for what felt like a minute, neither breaking as they locked gaze. Katara swallowed as she tried figuring why. The moment she came in class earlier, she did notice him immediately look straight at her from the back of the class. When she made her way to her seat, he never said a word, instead looked ahead and never paid a second glance.

Until now.

She sat silent for a moment before figuring to break the silence. “I guess we can’t always be training, huh?” She chuckled, hoping to get some kind of response.

Yet nothing came.

Her smile faded as he continued staring at her a few more seconds before he shifted his gaze back forward. She frowned at the action, getting off her hand and leaning towards him. “Hey, you could at least be polite and say something.” she whispered.

“What good would that do for me?” Shoto coldly responded, not even looking her way.

“what?” She hissed at him, shocked by his answer, “What’s your problem? I haven’t even said anything to you really.”

Shoto sat silent for a moment as his eyes shifted back towards her, the image on his computer flashing in his mind once more. He took in every detail of her face, and he was now for certain it was her. His sharp gaze looked away as his fist clenched. “You should just focus on yourself. Don’t let yourself get distracted.”

Katara glared and sat up more. “What’s that supposed to mean? What are you-

“Shh!” Uraraka whispered as loud as she could to the right, “If you keep talking, you’ll get in trouble!”

Katara wanted to figure out his deal, but she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. She huffed out and went back to looking at the teacher giving his lecture.

Peering out of the corner of his eye at the girl next to him, his gaze dropping down to his left hand. _‘I don’t know what really happened that night back then with my father…’_ Shoto growled internally, _‘… But I will be the one to beat you here, Katara.’_

* * *

Later in the day, Katara walked along with the others as they made their way into the large cafeteria. Hundreds of other students lined up as they grabbed food from the counter, taking their trays over to the many tables lined inside the massive hall. She looked around for a moment before she found Tenya at a table already seated. She walked over and sat next to him just before Midoriya and Uraraka joined as well.

“So, we have survived our first class of UA. Lets enjoy a good lunch!” Uraraka cheered as she reached for her beef and rice bowl.

“Yeah, let’s eat…” Katara quietly responded as she grabbed her chopsticks, her tone going noticed by the others.

“Is something bothering you, Katara?” Tenya asked.

She shook her head and took a bite of her rice, but was caught off guard as Uraraka’s hand nudged her shoulder. She quickly swallowed and looked back to the gravity user. “What’s up?”

“Uh I should ask you. You’ve been glaring at your rice the whole time.” Uraraka responded.

Katara blushed slightly and sat back. “No I haven’t!”

“Y-yeah you have been…” Midoriya added, “...I thought the food didn’t look go to you.”

Seeing all of them stare at her, Katara took a breath and rubbed her head. “Sorry it’s just… that I wasn’t comfortable with.”

“Well literature is a very important class for everyone though…” Tenya happily exclaimed, “… If you want to learn how to properly write out documents and-

“No I’m not talking about the class itself.” She waved him off, reaching over and talking a drink of her water. “I just felt… does that Todoroki hate me for some reason?”

Tenya tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean? Did he say something rude to you?”

“No, not really. But… I don’t know.” Katara sighed and scratched her head. “I’ve barely said anything to him and he almost seems annoyed when I do. Yet he is always glaring at me for some reason.”

“Well, m-maybe he is just a little intimidated…” midoriya said to the side. “You were close to him in the tests, and you scored top in the entrance exam.”

“Intimidated?” She questioned him, “those are just tests. That shouldn’t make him act like that though.” She grunted and took another bite of her food.

“Aw it’s only the second day of school. He may warm up to you.” Uraraka added her positivity to the table. “And besides, next class should be more interesting.”

Sighing, Katara continued to eat her meal, somewhat regretting saying what was on her mind. She made it seem like it was a question she didn’t understand, but in her mind she had a guess to what was happening. Her mind went back to that encounter she had after the entrance exams and to what that man had said to her.

‘ _Maybe you did tell your son about me…’_ she growled thinking of the flame hero, _‘...I bet you did want him to come after me. ’_

* * *

“ **I am here! Coming through the door like a** **hero** **!”**

Katara along with the entire class gasped in excitement as the All Might burst through the open door, her eyes locked onto the man as he marched his way into the room. She had seen him many times on tv, but to see him in person was something else. First off, he was absolutely huge! He was by far the largest man she had ever seen, his bulging muscles seemingly ready to tear through the colorful outfit he had on.

Then of course, his never ending smile seemed to radiate a warm energy among the class that she couldn’t help but smile in return as he stood proudly in front of the others.

“ **Now all of you may be curious to what we are doing now…”** All Might questioned all of them, **“I am not one to give lessons on normal class topics like history. I am here to teach the basics of being a pro! And today’s lesson will pull no punches!”**

“Pull no punches? What do you mean?” Kaminari asked.

“ **Today, we will be doing battle training!”**

Many of the students gasped in shock to hearing they would actually be fighting, where a few like Bakugo grinned in enthusiasm to the idea. Katara herself glanced over to her right and noticed Todoroki staring at her once again, his eyes filled with a determination she hadn’t seen in quite some time. Her own gaze hardened as she thought of the idea of having to go against him.

“ **But that’s not all.** **One of the keys to being a hero is** **…”** All Might’s hand held a small remote and he pointed towards the wall, his smirk turning back to the students. **“…** **Looking good!”**

After he clicked the remote, multiple racks slid out from the wall revealing twenty different cases. Each one was numbered to the corresponding seat in the class, causing more shouts of excitement from the others.

“Oh wow, that means our costumes are done!” Uraraka cheered as she spotted her number.

“ **Now let’s get you all suited up!”**

* * *

Inside their locker room, the seven girls of class 1-A changed into the costumes that they were given. Tsu chirped happily as she slipped into her green latex body suit. “I really am liking this so far. Ribbit. This suit is made perfectly for me.”

Katara smiled as she watched the frog girl slip on her goggles on top of her head. “You look like you’re ready to go diving. It matches you.”

“I know, right?” Tsu croaked while adjusting her large gloves.

Slipping her jacket off, Katara looked around at the others changing. Uraraka had her own tight latex suit on and her helmet sitting to the side. Jiro’s seemed basic enough with a leather jacket and basic pants, other than the strange boots she slipped on her feet. Mina’s cororful outfit stood out as well with her fur topped yellow vest. Momo’s also stood out… well, since it left little to the imagination. She then turned to see Toru-

“Wait…” Katara felt her mouth open when she saw a small pair of gloves floating in the air, only accompanied by a pair of floating boots. “You really did go with that idea we mentioned!?”

“Well I always knew I would be a good sneak hero, so I figured go with it when I registered my costume design.” the floating glove gave a thumbs up. “Now I’ll sneak passed anything!”

Giggling to herself, Katara looked down to her own numbered suitcase and opened it up, the contents inside bringing a smile to her face. Jiro noticed the grin and peeked over her shoulder into the case, her eyebrow raising when she saw what was there. “Wait, is that a hero course work? It looks more like it was handmade.”

“It is. It says you can bring your own outfit if you want to.” Katara answered, slipping out of the rest of her school uniform.

Momo leaned closer as the other girls chatted. “You brought your own outfit? How come you didn’t have the school design you something?” She questioned, her own eyes peeking to the contents.

“I know, but this is different…” Katara paused as she reached into the case, a warm feeling running through her body as she held up her water tribe robes. “… This has more meaning than a fancy looking costume. This is something really special to me.”

“Aw is that an outfit from where you came from?” Mina bounced over and looked at the blue robes being held in the waterbender’s hands. “That’s so sweet.”

Katara smiled and stood up. “Yes it is.”

* * *

Standing outside the tunnel leading to the testing grounds, All Might’s grin grew as he watched the twenty future heroes walk into the light. Their grand outfits shined in the sun, almost causing a blinding glow to overtake the street.

“ **Now look at you all! You truly do look like future pros!”** he triumphantly declared as they all lined in front of him. **“You all look so cool! Now let’s get going you newbies!”**

Looking around herself, Katara glanced at the other students new looks and had was taken back by how catching they were. She didn’t want to say it, but even Bakugo’s definitely was an eye opener as he walked by her, his wide grin almost beaming with excitement. She then saw one towards the front that made her double take before realizing who it was. “Iida? Wow now that looks familiar.”

Tenya turned towards her, his white armor looking near identical to his older brothers look. Even through his covered face she could feel the massive smile reach her. “Katara, I see you have kept your old robes from when you first came here.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t ever get rid of these. Besides, these are what I grew up with and the most comfortable.”

“That is very wise, but I am surprised you didn’t request some addition to your outfit. But if that is what you want then all the power to you.”

As the other students chatted with each other, Todoroki glared through the crowd towards the waterbender, her blue robes identical to the photo that was burned into his mind. His right fist emitted out a wave of frost, his blood running faster as he scowled. _‘You even wear the same outfit you did from then… either you are pretty stupid at hiding, or are that confident in yourself.’_ He hissed inside, hoping for the chance to finally challenge her.

Standing at attention to the gathered students, All might was ready to continue. **“** **Now that you are all here, it is time to explain what is going on. In most cases on the news you see heroes battling villains outside in the city. More times however, battles are taken place indoors instead, that is where today’s lesson comes in. We will be doing two versus two mock battles!”**

Tsu touched her chin in surprise to the reveal. “Isn’t that a little advanced for our first testing?”

“ **Nonsese! In combat you must adapt to situations when it calls. While the entrance exam breaking bots was one thing, but now you are up against real people.”**

“Excuse me, but question…” Iida interrupted his speech, “But are we being split by random or skill?”

“Are we graded on performance?” Momo chimed in.

“How much can we hurt the other team?” Bakugo growled.

“Isn’t my cape magnifico!?” A sparkling Aoyama yelled to the class.

“ **WAY TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!”** the top pro yelled out in annoyance, his brain overloaded from the kids. **“I shall explain… The villain team will hide a mock bomb somewhere in the location. You are to defend your stronghold from the two heroes coming to stop you. Either the heroes capture both villains or the bomb and they win, or the villains capture the heroes or time has run out and they win.** **Now, all of you come and draw to see what your teams will be.”**

Seeing the bucket in front of them, each student came and grabbed a random folded ticket. They never opened it and handed it to All Might, the brawny man reading it himself before jotting down the information, after a few minutes they were done, and he stood back up.

“ **Now that you have all drawn your tickets, here are the results!”** He flipped around the chart to the students to read.

Team A: Midoriya and Uraraka

TeamB: Shoji and Todoroki

Team C: Mineta and Yaoyorozu

Team D: Bakugo and Iida

Team E: Ashido and Aoyama

Team F: Koda and Sero

Team G: Kaminari and Jiro

Team H: Asui and Tokoyami

Team I: Ojiro and Harugake

Team J: Katara and Kirishima

“Team J, huh?” Katara said as she saw the list created.

“Hey, looks like we are a pair!”

Hearing the voice behind her, Katara turned and looked at Kirishima coming her way. His new getup was going practically shirtless other than black sleeves and red shoulder pads along with his face wire guard. She smirked as he approached. “Yeah, it seems we are. You trying to show off not wearing a shirt?”

“Hey, a real man isn’t afraid to show himself to the world.” He grinned and clenched his fist. “Now I’m curious who we are gonna face off against.”

Hearing that made Katara’s smile fade, looking back around to Todoroki. His left side was now covered completely in ice, but she could tell through that glass covered red eye he was looking right at her. “Yeah… I wonder who.” she mumbled before turning back to the front to their instructor.

“ **Now all of you…”** All Might declared as he dug his hands into two different buckets, the left labeled villain and the right hero, **“… the first to be battling will be… these guys!”**

Team’s D and A.

Both Midoriya and Bakugo gasped out loud to the twist of fate that they would be facing each other, their eyes locking in a split second and sending a tense filled pulse through the air.

“Finally, I get to crush you, Deku…” Bakugo growled as he hissed through his teeth. “...Get ready, you little bastard.”

Katara was too distracted by the tense stare down between the two rivals that she nearly forgot that Iida was up next until he walked passed her. “Oh, hey… good luck out there.” She called out.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.” he responded before walking towards the training building.

Her eyes went back towards Bakugo, the fuming bomb boy stomping passed his opponents as they both watched him in caution. Katara felt sick seeing him scare them that much, looking to the other two combatants with a smile. “Good luck to both of you, too.” she waved before turning and following the other students into the large media room nearby.

All of the observing students stood behind All Might as the massive screen flipped on, revealing several different smaller pictures. Each image was focused on one of the four combatants to allow everyone a view of the action. Katara walked up and stood next to Mina eyeing Iida and Bakugo discussing something in the bomb room. The monitors unfortunately did not give sound so none of the spectators could hear what they were saying, but whatever it was that Bakugo seemed furious before storming off down the hallway towards the entrance again.

“He’s not even going to work with Iida it seems…” Katara groaned as she watched her friend trying to call his partner back.

Mina nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s like a lone wolf.”

Seeing the chatter, All Might adjusted the earpiece he had giving him access to the speakers set up in the testing room. He could hear Bakugo cursing to himself as he walked.

“ _Alright Deku, you’ve been holding out this quirk on me? You think you are better than me!?”_

The top hero watched intently as the angry blonde made his way closer to the two hero kids heading into the building. _‘Young Midoriya did say that Bakugo was always confident in himself… but something seems different here.’_ he whispered inside.

A few moments later the class watched as Bakugo burst around a corner and went straight for both Midoriya and Uraraka, his hands glowing bright. Katara gasped as a large explosion overtook the monitor. “Did he get them!?”

“I’m not sure… the smoke is too thick.” Tokoyami responded, his eyes trying to see the others.

The other screen showed they did make it out, but now some of Midoriya’s outfit was blown off. He sent Uraraka off as he faced off against his childhood schoolmate alone. The furious blonde rushed forward again, but to everyone’s surprise the timid Izuku preformed a perfect counter and flipped the other and slammed him down.

“Woah, check that out, sweet move!” Kirishima yelled out in excitement.

Once again, Bakugo got up and charged forward, and Izuku was able to counter once more. Katara smiled as she watched him move. “He knows how to read others movements, giving him a good defense at least.”

“Yeah, but that Bakugo doesn’t seem like one to let that continue…” the large multi armed Shoji added. “… I don’t think Midoriya will be able to keep up that for long.”

Sure enough, the next moment Bakugo’s speed seemed to increase as his attacks came more frequently. Seeing himself outmatched, Midoriya quickly took off down the hall out of sight and around the corner. Bakugo tried chasing him but lost track of his target, leaving the explosion user screaming in frustration. The sight gave All Might a strange feeling in his stomach.

‘ _Midoriya said that Bakugo thought highly of himself, but this…’_ he paused as he watched the blonde breaking down every door trying to find his prey, _‘… this level of pride is something else. There’s more going on here that is making this happen.’_

Looking at the other monitors, Katara watched as Iida quickly shifted everything around the room he was in until no other items besides the large mock bomb remaining. The other monitor showed Uraraka coming around the corner, peeking her head out to see Iida guarding the bomb. It seemed Iida was deep in thought of his situation, looking up to the ceiling as he started… what appeared to be fake laughing to himself?

‘ _Please tell me he isn’t actually playing a villain role…’_ she groaned inside watching him clench his fist and hold it in the air above him. Uraraka must have heard it herself, because she suddenly burst out laughing at the armored teens actions.

Seeing the action made Momo sigh. “She had the perfect opportunity to sneak in there, and she let her guard down so foolishly.”

“Yeah… but knowing Iida I’d be hard for me not to laugh at him trying to act evil.” Katara chuckled out.

The next moment, the other screens were lit up from another powerful blast as Midoriya jumped out of the way of a shot to the head. Everyone… including katara to her own surprise, were more drawn into this half of the battle than the one with her own friend. Something about these two was much more than a simple fight. It was something personal.

While many didn’t know what has going to happen, All Might felt a cold chill as he watched the gauntlet extend out, and a single pin about to be pulled. **“Bakugo. Don’t do it! You’ll kill him!”**

“ _He’ll be fine as long as he dodges!”_

_Click._

A massive explosion blasted out of Bakugo’s gauntlet and rushed down the hallway _._ Concrete and stone ripped away as the blast tore through everything and tore through the other side of the building. Even the monitor room with the rest of the class shook from the large blast. Katara stumbled backwards as she stared in horror to the powerful blast that rivaled even Combustion man’s power back in her world. She remembered how insane that hunter’s power was to deal with, but it seemed like this teen could match that here.

“Are you serious!? He was trying to kill him there!” Katara screamed out as she tried to find her new friend on the screen, looking for the mop of green through the smoke.

“What kind of move is that thing? That’s crazy!”Sero yelled as he stood back from the crowd.

Eventually, the smoke dissipated on screen revealing Midoriya with more of his outfit blown off. Kirishima whistled seeing him okay, looking up to their silent teacher. “Sir, don’t you think this is getting out of hand?”

All Might himself was thinking the same thing. For Bakugo to do something so powerful at that range would have been serious damage or worse if it had hit. He should stop this fight then and there, but what Bakugo had said just moments before caught his attention.

‘ _Despite his fierce intent… he’s not actually trying to Kill young Midoriya. But still…’_ He brought the Mic to his mouth and turned it on.

“ **Bakugo, use that technique again and I’ll end this match. You’ll team will lose. To use something so reckless indoors and destroy the place you are defending is a fools move, whether you are a hero or a villain!”**

“What? You aren’t going to stop this?” Katara questioned the pro, “He’s being too dangerous.”

While he didn’t say it out loud, All might was thinking the same thing, but his heart wanted to see Midoriya push through somehow.

On the screen, an obviosuly frustrated Bakugo rushed once more and leaped towards his target. Midoriya attempted to punch forward, but in a fluid motion Bakugo released a blast forward to distract Izuku. At the same time the blast pushed him through the air to his opponents back, giving him a perfect and clear shot to behind. Most of the class began gasping as the watched Midoriya scream in pain from the heated explosion. Todoroki however focused his sight on the screen.

“He doesn’t look like a thinker, but he is actually really intelligent.” He stated as Bakugo blasted behind himself again to increase his speed.

Katara watched helplessly as Midoriya was hit once more by the heavy gauntlets, then grabbed and spun around before being slammed into the stone. Her fist clenched in anger as she watched Midoriya’s eyes go blank for a moment. “He’s toying with him now…” she growled.

Mina clutched her mouth as she stared as well. “This is getting hard to watch. He just has to capture him, not kill him!”

“Bakugo certainly is acting like a villain…” Tokoyami added.

“I don’t know what else Midoriya can do. He’s completely outmatched here.” Kaminari stated bluntly.

While she didn’t want to agree, Katara couldn’t help but watch the way Bakugo moved between his actions. The way his body reacted on instinct, not to mention his raw power and his quirk. When it came to fighting, he wasn’t just better than most; he was a gifted natural when it came to combat. She knew well enough to recognize that. And she could see Bakugo was enjoying what he was doing to the poor boy being tossed around.

“He’s not trying to win this. He’s simply trying to hurt him.” She yelled out and turned to their teacher. “Why aren’t you stopping this?” She could see All Might’s body slightly trembling in anger to the sight he was watching with all of them. Why he wasn’t trying to disqualify Bakugo was beyond herself.

“Sir!” She yelled out trying to get his attention. Frowning when he didn’t turn her way, she looked back to the monitors as Midoriya faced Bakugo from across the destroyed room they stood in. To her surprise however, Midoriya’s face had changed from what it was before, no longer carrying the look of caution and slight fear from earlier in the match. Now, nothing but pure determination was what he wore, his eyes locked on his foe as they both charged each other at once. This time, Midoriya’s right arm seemingly began glowing as he brought it back ready to strike, and Bakugo’s hand sparked out another incoming blast.

The sight was too much for some of the other students afraid that it wasn’t going to end well.

“This is bad, they are going to kill each other! You gotta stop this!” Kirishima yelled out in fear.

Finally it had become too much for the hero to watch, bringing the mic up again. **“Both of you stop this-**

“ _Uraraka, now!”_

All Might stopped when he heard Midoriya yell something through his own mic to his teammate, the gravity girl suddenly gripping onto the piling to her side. The moment before the two collided, Midoriya switched his punch and thrust it upwards above, the immense pressure shattering the floors going up all the way to the roof and out. Katara’s mouth dropped as the immense shockwave was felt in their room as well, watching the concrete fly upwards just from the wind gust being created by the punch.

The upper floor where the other two were was also blown apart, giving Uraraka the chance to lighten the pillar she was holding and swing it like a bat, hitting dozens of rubble pieces towards Iida. With him distracted, she quickly leaped through the air and landed on the bomb, and landing to victory for her team.

“Wait… they won.” Kaminari mumbled in shock to the sudden change in events.

* * *

After the mock battle and Midoriya was taken to the infirmary, the other three students made their way into the media room with the rest of the class. Seeing Iida’s disappointed look made Katara feel sorry for him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, that was a good match. You did good.” she tried comforting him, only to get a sigh in return.

“I was a failure at protecting my goal. I should be ashamed.” he sulked out, looking over to Uraraka standing there. “You’re finishing move was very impressive and it distracted me enough.”

“Well I got kinda lucky…” Uraraka chuckled and rubbed her head. “… If Deku hadn’t had pulled that off I would have been toast against Iida alone.”

Katara shook her head in disagreement, “Well the big drawback that changed everything was your situation, Iida. For you, you had to work alone.” She paused as she saw Bakugo sulking into the room and standing in the back alone, glaring at the violent boy. “You had a horrible partner to work with.”

Bakugo heard her remark, but the utter shock from the match was too much for him to even look up to her. His eyes stared at the ground as he replayed the last moment over and over again, still unsure how this had happened. His teeth grinded as he breathed heavily.

“How the fuck…” he hissed to himself, clenching his fists so hard he lost feeling in his fingers. “… how did this all happen? When did you pass me, Deku!?”

Walking back to the front of the class, All Might stood at attention and held his finger up. **“Alright, now thag the battle is over, who was the one who acted the best for their roles?”**

Katara was about to speak her mind before Yaoyorozu raised her hand up and began.

“Sir, although the heroes won this battle, they took too many risks overall. Midoriya’s attack was effective, yes, but the damage it caused was too much and could have destroyed the weapon. Uraraka also cost her surprise attack by being distracted, and her final attack was too reckless if this were real. Now to Bakugo, he abandoned his teammate to go off on his own, and his attack destroyed the base he was protecting. The one who stood out the most was Iida, for he took the responsible approach and kept to his position the whole time.”

…

…

“ **Eh… y-yes, precisely!”** All Might stuttered in surprise to the girls in depth analysis.

Katara was surprised as well, not able to say anything about Iida herself. She looked over to him, she nearly burst out laughing as she watched him almost cry in glee to the praise.

“Don’t wet yourself in there, that may rust your armor.” She teased as he clutched his chest.

“I cannot express my gratitude any more than I am showing…” Tenya sniffled as he stood tall.

Chuckling, Katara leaned towards Momo and whispered. “Don’t give him too much praise. He may never let it go.”

Giggling at his response to her praise, Yaoyorozu just shrugged her shoulders. “I just tell it as I see it. Learning from your previous battles is how to better prepare yourself later.”

A certain purple ball boy grinned as he stood behind the two ladies, his eyes locked onto the short yellow skirt of the black haired girl. “You can give all the lectures you want my way.”

“Stare at my ass one more time, and I’ll shove my foot up yours.” the creationist hissed out, not having to look behind her as he shivered.

“ **That was a very good learning experience for you all…”** All Might declared as his hands reached into the two boxes again. **“Now the next teams to battle will be… These two!”**

“J?” Katara’s eyes widened when she saw her team called. She was a little annoyed she was the chosen villain but figured it was just a test. Her gaze shifted to the other ball and felt her heart rate jump when she saw the other letter.

“H.” she whispered, looking to her right at the two that she would be facing. Both hers and Kirishima’s eyes met for a moment as they both turned to their opponents.

“Man, this is gonna be a fun one.” Kirishima chuckled as he locked eyes with Tsu and Tokoyami.

**Notes: And here we…. Go! Katara about to go at it with Kirishima against two tough ones.**

**Sorry folks… Todoroki will have to wait.**


	12. A Frog and a Shadow

Standing outside of the new testing building, Katara and Kirishima held up the ear pieces they were given by All Might before they left the media room. She looked over at her partner as he slipped his into his own ear and clicked the button on the side, deciding to follow suit and do the same. Once in, she waited a moment before she did anything.

“So… how do these work?” She asked him while they both walked into the abandoned building.

“Oh these things? Just push on this when you wanna talk if we get separated. Here…” He clicked on the surface button before speaking. “Got it?”

Katara’s eyes widened when she suddenly heard his voice not just from outside, but from inside her ear itself. “Now that is handy...” She chuckled to herself. “… we may need this against Tokoyami.”

“Yeah, I saw his quirk during the testing yesterday. Seems pretty crazy.” he rubbed his head as they continued up the stairs.

They eventually reached the room with the large bomb on the third floor. Katara sighed as she stared at the large yet fake device they were protecting. “Seems weird we are playing villains, protecting something bad like this.”

“I mean it’s just practice. We can always pretend its a helpless family stuck here.” Kirishima grinned her direction, at least getting a chuckle from her.

“I guess you’re right. Now… we need some kind of plan.” She lowered herself to one knee as he squatted down as well. “first off, what is your quirk?”

“Mine? It’s hardening…” Kirishima held up his arm in front of her, the skin across the top suddenly locking tight and appearing like stone. “… I can harden my body so I can take any hit.”

“Huh, that’s a pretty nice one…” She responded as she opened her canteen and bended a small amount of water to her hand. “… I can waterbend, so any water I can control.”

“I saw that during the testing, pretty sweet.” Kirishima grinned.

She sighed at his compliment. “Thanks, but I need a source of water. I can’t just create it. So I’m limited to what I can do here, and Tokoyami’s quirk is really strong.”

“Yeah, he has that weird thing coming out of him. It’s kinda creepy.”

“He calls it Dark shadow. He told me about it during the entrance exam. And that thing has a mind of it’s own.”

“Wait what?” his eyes widened at that statement, “That is creepy.”

“Well the problem is that means they have a third set of eyes too, so sneaking around them will be harder.” Katara put the water back in her canteen and grunted. “I don’t know much about Tsu though.”

Kirishima grabbed his chin as he thought back. “Well she’s a frog so I saw she jumps really far, and she’s pretty quick too.”

Rubbing her own chin, Katara wish she actually paid more attention to some of the others more during the test yesterday. “I guess so, but if we aren’t careful we could-

“Ah don’t worry about it…” Kirishima stood back up and braced his body, “… Why don’t we just rush them and end this early?”

“Uh yeah, not a good idea…” She frowned, “...If we try rushing them we may end up like the last team, separated and overtaken.”

“That’s why we rush together. Come on! It’s more manly than just waiting here!” he seemingly begged as he raised his fists up and down. “It will look so cool if we just dominate!”

Rolling her eyes, she stood back up. “Fine, we can try and catch them out of this room, but we will stay on this floor and near the bomb at least. We can’t leave it defenseless.”

He grinned at her suggestion. “Deal, now let’s do this!”

* * *

“What are you thinking about?” Tsu asked as she noticed Tokoyami deep in thought.

“It’s our opponents. Kirishima is pretty straight forward, a brute fighter. It’s Katara that concerns me.” he answered as they waited outside the building.

Tsu tilted her head to his comment. “What do you mean? She has her water so we know how it works.”

“Yes, and she can also make it into ice.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Ribbit… Really? I didn’t see that yesterday.” She looked up to the building, “She did so well with just water, and she can do even more…”

“Indeed…” Tokoyami stood up and stepped forward, his beak forming the smallest of grin, “...She also beat my score during the entrance exam. This will be very interesting.”

“ **Alright, you newbies…”** All Might’s voice boomed through the streets intercoms, **“...the time starts… now!”**

The cloaked shadow user furrowed his brow and walked forward. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The eyes in the media room looked between the two teams making their way to their spots, the students already debating the outcome.

“So, who you got with this one?” Kaminari asked the others outloud, “… I got Tokoyami on this fight.”

“Nah, Katara’s taking this herself.” Jiro responded smirking.

“Yeah, she’s definitely gonna win, she’s so good…” Mina cheered on, her eyes also going to the red haired boy on screen, a small smile forming on her face. “… plus Kirishima is really tough too. That’s a strong team.”

Tenya nodded in agreement. “They both are very formidable, especially Katara... but Tokoyami seemed quite strong himself. Not to mention he has Asui with him, too.”

Momo stepped forward and crossed her arms. “Yes, she seemed quite talented too. Katara’s abilities with Kirishima’s strength are good, but you have a balanced pair with Tokoyami and Tsu. This will be an interesting match up. I am not fully sure who will win this one.”

As the class chatted among themselves, Todoroki glared up from the back of the room. He had hoped to be matched up with her now, but luck wasn’t on his side. His gaze stayed on the blue robed girl onscreen, watching her crouch behind a corner.

“Don’t disappoint me now, Katara. I need to be the one to beat you…”

* * *

Peaking around the corner she hid by, Katara looked down towards the stairs below. Her ears were poised and ready trying to hear anything coming up her way. She reached up and clicked the piece in her ear on. “Kirishima, you hear anything yet?”

“No, not on my end…” the earpiece rang out, “… I got nothing so far.”

“Keep yourself ready. There are only these two sets of stairs coming up here so they have to come through them.” She responded before clicking hers off. She popped her canteen open and readied a large hand full of water out and over her skin. She looked down once more as she suddenly heard the tapping of footsteps coming from below.

“Hey, I got something!” she quickly whispered into her mic, standing up and taking a deep breath, “I hear them coming.”

Over on Kirishima’s side, he nodded his head and stood up. “Got it, on my way over to-

He paused as he heard tapping coming from his stairs as well. “Wait, I hear them here, too.”

“What?” Katara questioned, “They separated too?”

“Yeah, that means we can take them each one on one!” He happily cheered and faced the stairway, his body hardening all over. “Let’s get ‘em!”

Katara’s eyes widened as she heard him yell both in the mic and down the hallway. “Wait, don’t just rush forward! Something doesn’t feel right!”

“ _What’s wrong? Afraid of a little action? I’m going in!”_

“Wait, don’t!” Katara could hear him cheer in her ear as he stomped down the stairs on his side. “With Tokoyami I doubt he would-

Her mind suddenly remembered the day of the entrance exam, and how far the shadow in Tokoyami’s body reached out from inside his body. She looked back towards the stairs and saw the outline of a shadow moving by, and the shape of the shadow looked like some form of snake bird. Her eyes widened when she began guessing what had happened, sprinting down the steps and looking to the left. She caught the glimpse of Dark shadow retracting back down the hall towards the other side, which was where the other stairs were.

“Shoot…” Katara hissed and ran back up the stairs, hand pushing against her ear. “… Kirishima, they used Dark shadow on my side for a sound diversion. They both are on your side!”

Kirishima didn’t hear however, the red head yelling to much as he charged onward. “Time to show what a real man can do!” he grinned when he reached the bottom of the stairs and locked eyes with Tokoyami. “There you are, let’s get it!”

Roaring out, the hardened Kirishima ran forward hand drawn back and swung, only to find his forearm wrapped in a long tongue. “What the-!?”

He trailed the pink tongue up the side of the wall, his mouth dropping in shock at Tsu clutched to the side below the ceiling. “Where did you come from, Asui!?” he yelled out.

“You should call me Tsu…” She mumbled out and yanked him backwards and threw him against another wall. Thankfully for his hardening, he hit the concrete with no damage himself, but was helpless as Dark shadow launched out from his body and prepared to crash into him. Before he was hit, a stream of water wrapped around his waist and yanked him back up the stairs landing in a thud.

“I told you to wait before running down!” Katara growled releasing the water from her partner.

Kirishima glared and stood back up. “Hey, how was I supposed to know they were both there!?”

“How about wait until I was for sure, not run out like an angry Moose Lion!”

“I didn’t just…” Kirishima’s face went blank to what she compared him to. “A what!?”

She rolled her eyes, “Never mind, just stay together!”She looked back as she heard their footsteps getting closer. “Let’s get back, we need to rethink this.”

Not a fan of running away, Kirishima sighed and nodded. “Fine, let’s go!”

As they both sprinted away, Tokoyami grunted and retracted dark shadow back into himself. “Our first plan didn’t work. Katara foiled that one.”

“Yeah, I thought it would give us plenty of time to catch one of them.” Tsu responded. “Kirishima ran right into it, but she still saved him.”

“Indeed, now we do not have the element of surprise. Facing them head on here is our best option.”

“Ribbit… are you sure?”

“We cannot waste time, if we don’t capture them or the bomb we will lose.” Tokoyami ran up the stairs and glanced down the hallway, seeing them out of sight. He looked back and forth between the many doors, noticing several were cracked open. “Let’s go, dark shadow.”

The shadowy mass exited his body, the dark hand giving a thumbs up. _“Got it!”_ it hissed out and rushed towards one of the jarred doors and slamming it open, peeking inside quickly but saw no one there. Backing out, dark shadow went towards the next door and hit it open too, but was once again met with no one there.

“Where are you hiding?” Tokoyami glared down the hall, searching for his prey. He was so focused, that he didn’t notice the closed door behind him slowly opening.

Peeking through the crack, Katara watched as Tokoyami walked down towards the bomb room, but not before checking all the opened doors going that direction. Slowly reaching up to her ear, she clicked the piece and whispered as quiet as she could.

“He’s almost there. A few more seconds…”

Then, Dark shadow reached the last opened door on the right, the shadow bringing its fist back to punch it open.

“Now!”  
  


the door to the left of Dark shadow burst open as Kirishima bull rushed the dark mass and tackled it into the adjacent wall.

“Gotcha now!” the hardened teen yelled out in glee, his arms locked around dark shadow’s neck and pinning the creature.

“ _Hey, that hurts!”_ the shadow yelled out in frustration.

Tokoyami tried retracting the shadow into him, but the sturdy Kirishima held tight. Grunting, Tokoyami ran forward, “Hold on dark shadow, I’ll be right-

His words were silenced as the door behind him kicked open and Katara burst out into the hallway. Her hands pulled out a pair of water spheres and smiled. “Nice work, Kirishima! Now we got you!”

She prepared to throw the water forward, but the sudden yank on her ankle made her scream in shock and fall onto her stomach. Kirishima’s eyes looked up from the shadow to his downed partner. “Hey, you okay ov- whoa!”

The second of distraction was enough for dark shadow to break free of the grip and throw off Kirishima, the shadow retracting back to its owner. “Ah shit, this isn’t good…” the red head groaned and rubbed his head.

Katara tried to stand up, but she felt something tugging her back by her ankle again. She looked back around and saw the frog girl’s tongue wrapped around her leg. “Got you, Katara.”

‘ _Ugh that’s so gross!’_ Katara screamed inside as she whipped water backwards towards Tsu, forcing her to release her tongue and jump out of the way. Now free, Katara stood back up and faced the crouching frog girl, while to her back Tokoyami eyed her and his shadow kept watch on Kirishima.

“Great, so much for that plan…” Katara moaned out as she gathered more water onto her right arm. Now that their surprise on Tokoyami was foiled, they had no choice but a full frontal attack against the two of them. “Kirishima, you can’t let them passed you no matter what.”

“Yeah, I got it!” Kirishima yelled out, bringing his arms across his front and rehardening, “No one is getting through me!”

looking back to Tsu, Katara watched as she slowly moved in her crouched position. While she saw her hop around like a frog, she honestly didn’t expect the tongue to come along with it, adding a gross factor and a combat factor to the table. _‘So she also has range like me and Tokoyami. This is really a tough spot now.’_ she sighed inside as she looked to her canteen, annoyed by her limited supply _. ‘Don’t have too many options here.’_

Crawling forward, Tsu let her tongue hang out slightly as she stared down the waterbender. “Ribbit… You okay, Tokoyami?”

“I’m fine, thanks for the assist…” the shadow user answered calmly, glancing to Katara “...It seems I was the one needing rescuing today.”

Katara chuckled at his joke. “You still holding that entrance exam stunt over me?”

His beak made a small grin, “No, but I am impressed with your plan. However, we will be victorious today.”

“Oh, is that so?” the waterbender pulled another stream of water to her left hand. “Let’s find out then!”

Throwing her hands outward, the water whipped out towards the other two but they both jumped out of the way in time. Kirishima rushed forward and crashed into dark shadows body, but this time the dark mass matched his strength and pushed back. With them locked locked together, Katara turned back towards Tsu who now crawled along the side wall. She threw a stream of water out to catch her, but once again the green haired girl leaped out of the way in time.

“She’s really fast…” Katara groaned and split the water on her right hand into four smaller streams and whipped them outward. Now the many whips were too much for Tsu to evade forward and forced to retreat backwards while shooting her tongue backwards. Not wanting to get grabbed again, Katara yanked the water back and made a thin but wide wall of water surrounding her front and stifling the pink appendage.

“Ribbit?” Tsu croaked in surprise as her tongue was suddenly gripped by the water and pulled forward. She dug her webbed shoes into the ground trying to fight back against the force, but the water was too much and was overpowering her.

Kirishima however was struggling as the larger shadow began pushing him back, his feet scraping across the hard floor. “Hey, this bird thing is a bit much for me!” He grunted out as he felt himself suddenly picked up off the ground. “Shit. shit. shit!”

Katara whipped her head around and watched her partner smash into the ceiling stone. “Kirishima!” she yelled out as dark shadow retracted alone and rushed towards her. Panicking, she let go of Tsu and brought out the little remaining water she had, forming a small ice wall around her backside just as the clawed hands smashed into her shield. She gasped in shock from the force as she was shoved back into the wall behind her, the stone crumbling from the force.

“I’ve got her, go to the bomb.” Tokoyami yelled out to his partner, pushing the ice harder and into the wall.

Wincing at the pain in her back, Katara watched as Tsu hopped off down the hallway to the bomb room. She looked back to the dark claws pushing at her, the thin ice beginning to crack. ‘I gotta do something quick!’ She yelled at herself.

Swiping her one free hand, she melted the entire ice shield into water and shot it up dark shadow’s body and around its neck.

“ _Hey, back off girl!”_ dark shadow hissed out as it felt the cold water engulfing its form.

“Dark shadow, return!” Before Tokoyami could retract it inside however, the water refroze and locked it in place. The bird headed teen gasped as Katara suddenly leaped over the ice and knocked him to the ground. Seeing his quirk locked down, Katara looked down and saw Tsu nearing the final turn to the bomb.

“Shoot, don’t have much time!” She yelled as she jumped off Tokoyami, leaving him free but dark shadow still frozen in the block. She only had a handful of water left, but she had no choice since it kept him at bay as she sprinted after Tsu.

“Dark shadow, you okay?” Tokoyami crawled off the ground and ran to his quirk. “Can you get free?”

“ _I-I am t-t-t-trying!”_ the shadow shivered out as it chipped away at the ice.

Gritting his teeth, Tokoyami hit his own earpiece and turned back around. “Tsu, dark shadow is down. She’s right behind you!”  
  


“Ribbit!?” Tsu flipped her head around to see, her eyes widening as a small ice spike whipped passed her face into the nearby doorway. She skidded to a stop and faced the incoming waterbender. “You are very hard to stop, aren’t you?” she croaked out and launched her tongue out.

‘that’s still gross…’ Katara hissed inside as she took the very little water she had left and made water gloves for her hands. She batted away the tongue as it came in, swiping it with her covered hands and releasing mini ice pieces onto it as it came in every time. The chilled feeling became too irritating for Tsu, retracting it back into her mouth and jumping through the final door. Katara cursed as she knew where that led to.

“Shit, she’s in the bomb room!” Katara yelled at herself as she reached the doorway herself, retrieving the ice spike she sent earlier and enter the final room… only to find the bomb and no girl in sight. “What… where did she-

She yelped out in shock from the sudden force dropping down from the ceiling knocking her down to the ground. Her eyes spun around to meet Tsu, the clever frog hiding above the doorway for her. She tried to crawl away real quick, but the long tongue of Tsu wrapped her ankles and drug her backwards.

“Sorry Katara…” Tsu mumbled as she pulled out her line of capture tape, “...but I don’t wanna lose.”

“Yeah? Me neither!” Katara flipped her body over and swiped her finger, a single strip of water flying through the air and slicing the capture tape and part of Tsu’s cheek. The sudden sting made her yelp out and loosen her grip, allowing Katara’s ankles to be freed. Before Tsu could pull back fast enough, a splash of water hit her chest and soaked her upper body. The cold breath of the waterbender quickly followed suit, and the wet outfit on the frog froze over her body.

“R-ribbit…” Tsu felt her entire body go numb as the temperature suddenly dropped around her, her eyes drooping down and falling to her side. Her breathing slowed as her heart rate began dropping. “so… cold.”

Katara stood up panting as she tried catching her breath. “Now… that’s finally done.” She shook her empty canteen and sighed. “I got to get more water somehow. This was much harder than…”

Her words caught on her tongue when she looked back up to the door. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“Thought I was down for the count?” Tokoyami grunted as dark shadow came out from his chest. “I told you I was going to win.”

Stepping back, Katara felt her heart race as she had nothing left. What ever water she had left she used it to keep Tsu contained, and everything else was down the hall. She had nothing left.

Tokoyami slowly walked towards her, opening his cloak and bringing his own arms out. “Now, it’s just you and me.”

“Nope, me too!”

Tokoyami yelled out in pain as he was blindsided by Kirishima, making Katara’s mouth drop as they skidded to the floor. “You’re back!”

The red head stood up and was covered in scuffs all over his body, but still grinned over to his partner. “I told you I can take any attack. Now, I want some payback on that bird!”

Tokoyami glared as he crawled to his knees, his body aching from the force of the rock like teen hitting him. “You are quite the stubborn one, aren’t you?”

Kirishima smiled and clenched his fists and charged forward. “I’m just doing what any hero would do… and that is not giving up!”

Hearing those words made Katara smile, and even without water, she ran forward to help him. “Alright, we got this!”

Gritting his teeth, Tokoyami stepped back and braced his legs. “Dark shadow, go!”

Katara’s eyes focused as dark shadow rushed towards her, quickly sliding underneath the shadow as it swiped at her. Before the dark mass could turn to get her again, Kirishima brought a powerful uppercut into it’s stomach.

“That’s for the ceiling earlier!” he yelled out and hardened his face and gave a headbutt into the creatures beak.

Tokoyami was about to rush forward to help his quirk, but was caught by Katara’s leg sweep and fell backwards. Not giving him time to recover, Katara jumped on top of him and wrapped her arms around his chest pinning him down. She quickly flipped her body sideways and threw her legs across his chest, pinning his right arm between her thighs as she tightened her arm bar. She could feel him wincing from the pain, but he still was trying to roll over and slip out.

“Kirishima, could use some help!” She grunted out against Tokoyami’s strength.

“I’m a little busy!” Kirishima yelled as he boxed with the shadow bird trading blows “Use your water to freeze him!”

“I’m out!” katara gritted her teeth and pulled harder, feeling her face turning red as she strained to keep her hold on him. After a few more moments it seemed her grip was beginning to weaken, her arms growing somewhat numb as Tokoyami continued to pull back against her. She grunted and tightened her legs even more, not giving him an inch to spare as she yanked his arm flat against her stomach. She refused to let go even when his free hand tried clawing at her legs to break the hold. She pulled harder and harder, her determination giving her every ounce of strength she could muster.

And then she felt him tap her calf.

“I surrender…” Tokoyami moaned out between his grunts.

The loud bell suddenly rang through the building, signaling the match was over. Sighing in relief, Katara slumped off her opponent and panted for air. Kirishima followed suit and dropped back on his butt. “It’s over?” he got out between is own gasps for air.

“ **The villain team… wins!”**

Katara managed a large smile on her face as she laid back on the ground breathing hard. “Yeah, it is…”

“Hell yeah! That was awesome!” Kirishima threw himself on his back and laughed, “Now that was a fight!”

Tokoyami grunted in frustration as he retracted dark shadow back into his body. He sat up and gripped his harm, his muscles aching from the intense strain but nodded his head. “It seems you got the better of us. Congratulations.”

Catching her breath, Katara sat up and chuckled. “It was pretty close. You almost had us a few times.” She turned around smiling to Tsu. “You did good, too. You are very…” her breath caught in her throat when she saw her, however. “Tsu?”

The girl in question sat silent on the ground, her body not moving other than the slight shiver she gave every few moments. Katara felt concerned and crawled over to her. “Tsu? What’s wrong?” She put her hand on her shoulder and was shocked by what she felt. “You’re freezing!”

“What?” Kirishima stood up and ran over to the two girls. “She has ice on her chest, that’s probably why.”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen this before…” Katara waved her hands and melted the ice off of Tsu, but the unconscious girl still didn’t move. “… Her body feels like it’s just as cold as the ice.”

“She’s part frog, that means she’s cold blooded…” Tokoyami yelled in fear of her safety as he ran over to them too. “… The ice chilled her too much. She’s going into hibernation.”

“What!?” Kirishima’s eyes widened in fear. “let’s get her to recovery girl, quick!”

“No, I can help her…” Katara gathered the water she removed from Tsu and covered her hands. She was hesitant showing this ability, but her guilt was growing as the girl below her hardly breathed. “...I did this, so I should fix it at least.”

Kirishima cocked his eyebrow at her statement. “I know you feel bad, but it’s cool. Lets just get her to the infirmary and she’ll be-

Both of the boys eyes went wide when Katara’s water covered hands began glowing a shimmering blue. They watched in awe and shock as she placed her hands on Tsu’s chest, the shining water running over and enveloping her numb body. The bird headed teen leaned closer as he stared at the waterbenders act, her hands slowly moving over Tsu’s torso. “What is that?”

“I’m using my water to recover her temperature. I’m warming her up back to normal.” Katara answered as her hands went over Tsu’s cold chest. She could sense the internal organs were very slow in response, but they were beginning to move faster as she warmed. After a few more seconds, the green haired girls’ eyes opened up.

“Ribbit…” Tsu moaned out as she looked up at Katara. “...what happened?”

“You were out for a little while. Katara restrained you with ice and you passed out.” Tokoyami answered.

Tsu’s eyes widened as much as she could to hearing that. “R-really?”

“Tsu, I’m so sorry.” Katara whispered as she continued her treatment. “If I had known this would have happened I wouldn’t have left the ice on you.”

The groggy frog sat up slowly, a slight shiver running through her body but as bad as before. “I-it’s okay. You didn’t know.” Tsu’s eyes went down to the glowing hands hovering over her body. “You helped me warm up?”

Katara smiled at her, “Yeah. You feel better now?”

“Uh huh, thanks.” Tsu rubbed her head as she blushed slightly. “I still feel bad I got beat so easily.”

“Well to tell you the truth it wasn’t so easy…” Katara chuckled. “… you are really strong too.”

“Thanks, i- ow!” Tsu winced when her hand rubbed the slice across her cheek, looking at the blood on her fingers. “You did get me good.”

“Here, let me get that.” Katara brought one of her hands up and placed it over the cut, the glow starting up again. Tsu felt a strange sensation as the water shifted over her cheek, yet it was so soothing at the same time. A few moments later, the glowing stopped, and Tsu brought her hand up to where the cut was and found nothing there.

Kirishima felt his jaw drop slightly at everything that just happened. “Now that is some cool shit right there.”

* * *

Making their way into the media room, the four combatants were suddenly swarmed by the other students.

“Damn, that was really intense. I was beginning to think you were gonna lose that match, Katara!” Toru’s gloves waved in shock to the final outcome. “That was a crazy good comeback!”

“Yeah, you and Kirishima both did really good. That was a close match.” Shoji chimed in from the back.

“Katara that was so cool! That move in the end was really sweet!” Mina cheered on from the side.

“Kirishima, that was super badass you taking on that shadow thing like that…” Kaminari gave a thumbs up to the red head. “Nice man!”

Katara smiled at all the compliments and rubbed her head. “Thanks everyone.” she turned and saw Tenya walking towards her, his hand stretched out to shake.

“Congratulations, Katara. You did excellent in your match.” he said with a big smile.

Katara grinned and took his hand. “Thanks, it was a lot closer than I had hoped. They were really strong.”

“Yes, but even when you ran out of water you used your own skill to reach success. Very impressive.” Tenya’s face slightly changed when his mind remembered the end portion. “But what was that last thing you did? To help Asui after she passed out?”

Katara felt her heart skip a beat when he brought up her healing abilities. She knew using it would bring up questions. What made it worse was after Tenya mentioned it, others chimed in as well.

“Yeah, what was that strange glow stuff you did in the end?” Mineta questioned behind her.

“yes, I agree. What kind of technique was that with the water you preformed there? I was very impressed.” Momo added as well.

Hearing them all question her, Katara blushed slightly and rubbed her head. “Oh hehe, well I control water, so I warmed it up so it warmed her body. And the cut I… froze it together and then dissolved the water. It’s uh… just a trick I learned from my village.”

…

…

Momo stared at her blankly from the fake answer she gave. “You froze the cut closed?”

Katara felt sweat roll down her neck as she looked to the other students. ‘great… there’s no way they will believe-

What!? No way, that’s so cool!” Sero yelled at hearing that.

“That is so cool! You have so many cool things you can do with your quirk!” Uraraka cheered as well.

Hearing all of them go along with what she said made Katara stare in a bit of bewilderment to how they just accepted her explanation. _‘Wow… that was easy.’_ She said to herself.

“ **All right all of you chatter bugs, lets discuss that** **wondrous** **match we witnessed! Now, the villains did win, but what did you see that could be improved upon?”** All Might asked the large crowd.

Mina raised her hand first, “Uh, the heroes should have been more aggressive?”

“ **Perhaps, but in terms of the heroes, they actually made very few mistakes! They communicated well and used strategy multiple times in the match. I am actually referring to what the villain team should have improved.”**

Katara felt a lump in her throat from him saying her team needed improvements even though they were the victors, but she decided to keep her mouth closed and see what the others said about her.

“Sir, if I may…” Momo asked with her raised hand, the entire class sighing since she would finish the entire breakdown herself. “… The first major mistake was Kirishima who rushed into the fight without communicating with his teamate correctly.”

“Hey! I wasn’t that bad!” Kirishima whined at the comment about himself, but the big brained girl continued.

“Katara did very well during the battle with her ability trying to asses the different situations and communication. She used her quirk in many unique and creative ways that are very practical for scenarios like this. Even when she was without a source of water to use her quirk, she used her own body as a way to subdue the target. However, she made one large mistake.”

“I did?” Katara whispered to herself as she glanced over to Yaoyorozu.

“When she had subdued dark shadow momentarily, she didn’t use the opportunity to capture Tokoyami himself, which led to him catching up and she be the one needing rescuing from Kirishima.”

All Might threw his finger straight towards the silent waterbender to the answer. **“Precisely!”**

Katara felt her mouth drop slightly to the criticism she heard. “But… if I didn’t try and stop Tsu she would have reached the bomb.”

“ **That is true, but you left a downed opponent free giving them a chance to recover and come back. In a few extra seconds you could have restrained him with the capture tape you were given before the match started.”**

the waterbenders eyes widened and her hand went to the roll of tape she forgot was in her pocket. “Oops…”

“ **When dealing with multiple opponents, you must always remember to lower their numbers whenever you can to lower the opposition you face not just for yourself, but for others like the police who come after to arrest the villains. If you defeat them but don’t restrain them, then those officers may be at risk as well. Remember, these exercises aren’t just about winning or losing; its doing the correct thing in a real situation.”**

Rubbing the back of her head, Katara couldn’t believe she made a mistake as simple as that. In a normal fight she would have made sure she did something like that. Did she simply slip because she figured it was a practice test? Because who she was against she figured were her new friends? Either way… she nodded and looked back to her teacher. “I’ll try and do better next time, sir.”

“ **Excellent! Learning from mistakes is essential for any hero!”** All Might walked to the nearby table and dug his hands into the drawing boxes. “ **Now, the next match will be… these two!”**

Heroes team ‘B’, and villains team ‘I’.

Realizing who was next, Katara turned to Todoroki as he looked towards the exit… which also happened to be where she was standing. There eyes met, and Todoroki’s cold gaze only seemed to increase as he walked her direction. All the other voices in the room seemed to be silent to the waterbenders ears while she stared at him… not sure if she should wish him luck or simply ignore him. When he passed though, he was the one to break the silence.

“So you have more than one ability as well. Looks like we aren’t so different.”

Katara’s eyes shot open to the comment he made to her, but by the time she turned to him he was already making his way through the doorway. _‘what does he mean by that?’_

As the other students began chatting about the next match, All Might peeked out of the corner of his eye to the waterbender near the front of the class. While he was very impressed with her skills with her quirk, that is also what gave him that strange feeling in his chest, and didn’t buy her explanation to how her last ability worked.

‘ _She not only has the ability to control both water and ice, but she is able to heal others with water using her quirk? I don’t think I have ever heard of anything like that before.’_ he thought as he stared at her. _‘She seems like a good person at heart, but why would she not register a power like that on her entrance sheet? Was she hiding it for some reason?’_

He turned back to the screen as the current combatants readied themselves. _‘I’ll have to talk to Aizawa about this later...’_

* * *

As the next match was about to start, Shoji stretched his arms while he waited outside the testing building. “This is a good time to think of a strategy for us, don’t you think?”. He turned expecting to get an answer, but raised his eyebrow as Todoroki was already by the door staring down the entrance path. “Todoroki?”

“There’s no need for a strategy.” Shoto responded as he looked at the building. “This will be over in an instant.”

“What? This is a test that is to show how we work together in situations.” Shoji explained as he walked over to him. “If you go and try and do this on your own they will criticize our teamwork.”

“There’s no reason to worry…” looking back to his partner, Todoroki raised his right hand and activated his ice. “… this won’t be much of a match.”

“ **Now you young heroes, the match begins… now!”**

As soon as the buzzer sounded off, Todoroki slowly walked into the hallway, his right hand reaching for the wall. “I was hoping to face a more difficult team than this, but it can’t be helped.”

A small smirk formed at the corner of his mouth as he looked up to the ceiling above him. “Either way, she will see the difference in talent we have.”

* * *

Her eyes locked on the monitor, Katara stared curiously as the dual hair colored boy walked into the hallway alone. Her mind was spinning thinking of the strange comment he made to her before he left the room. Perhaps he didn't believe her fib about how her healing worked... and judging from the look Yaoyorozu gave her when she said it, most likely she didn't believe it either. She was just hoping the next few matches were crazy enough that the others would just forget it.

But what happened next was beyond anything she could have expected.

In an instant, the wall and ground from Todoroki became engulfed in ice that rushed outward to the rest of the area. The ice didn’t stop on the first level, racing up the stairways, the windows, and every corridor through the entire building until it was all engulfed in a cold sheet. Both of the hero students were trapped in the ice as well, feet pinned in the cold prison formed instantly.

The other students and All Might shivered from the cold air and chattered to the amazing display of power from the young teen. Katara felt the cold herself but wasn’t bothered by it, she however stared in disbelief from the act. Even with a full moon boosting her power to its max, she had never done anything to the level he had just done. It reminded her of seeing how much more powerful his father was compared to the firebenders she had seen so many times. Her hands slowly shook as he made his way up the stairs and into the bomb room where both Ojiro and Harugake were frozen in their spots.

“D-d-dude, he ended th-that in s-s-seconds.” Kaminari shivered out as he rubbed his arms to arm his body.

“ **Todoroki is an absolute beast. That should be expected from someone with such an extraordinary father!”** All Might answered even while he shivered himself, watching the screen as Todoroki walked up and placed his left hand on the bomb. **“The hero team, wins!”**

If the ice wasn’t enough already, the ice underneath Todoroki’s hand suddenly erupted in steam as a wave of heat rushed out from his body. The rest of the building followed suit, the layer of ice melting down into water dripping off the walls and puddling onto the floor. Katara’s eyes shot open as she herself felt the heat dispersing into the media room. “What was that just now? Doesn’t he have ice powers?”

“ **yes, but that is is right side…”** All Might answered her, **“… his quirk is half hot-half cold. He freezes with his right side, and burns with his left. A truly amazing power.”**

“Burns!? You mean he…” Katara’s words faded as she looked back to the screen, realizing what he had meant when he said more than one ability. For he could control both ice… and fire like his father. She breathed in deep as Todoroki looked directly into the camera in the corner of the room, his mouth moving silently through the video. Katara however could read his lips.

“ _We are just playing on different levels.”_

While many of the others assumed it was a simple challenge to everyone else, Katara felt a cold chill from his gaze as he stared through the monitor. While she wasn’t for certain, she felt like he was speaking directly to her with a challenge.


	13. Between us

After the rest of the groups finished their mock battles, the students all met All Might outside by the entrance back into the main building. The large hero stood proudly in front of his students with his virtuous smile. **"Excellent work, all of you! You did a fantastic job today despite this being your first tryout at a scenario like this."**

"Thank you, sir!" all the students responded in unison.

" **You are very welcome! Now, get yourself changed out of your costumes and head on back to your class. Now, I shall go check on Young Midoriya! Now watch me exit… Like a hero!"**

The class was caught off guard as the great hero sprinted down in a flash so fast he created a powerful gust of wind behind him, many of them cheering in excitement seeing any form of action from the great hero.

"Wow, look how fast he is. It's so awesome!" Mineta pumped his fists in the air.

"Yeah, that's just a fast walk for the him too." Sero chimed in.

Katara brushed her hair back down and nodded to the others comments. "He is amazing to see." she turned and began following the others to the locker rooms.

Just before he got out of sight, All might peeked over his shoulder and stared at the sulking blonde in the back of the class. _'I'll have to keep an eye on Young Bakugo. His pride needs a guiding hand before it gets worse.'_ he then took a quick peek to a certain girl in blue.

' _I also will have to get a word in with Aizawa about Katara as well.'_

* * *

Slipping her school jacket back on, Katara looked over to the other girls as they all got dressed as well. Her eyes wandered over to Asui to her right, her mind going back to her shivering on the ground. She felt her stomach knot at thinking of it once again.

"Hey Tsu, you doing alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Katara. Don't worry." Tsu answered as she stood up from the bench. "I feel fine."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure..." Katara smiled and adjusted the buttons on her jacket. "… After the match I felt bad. I didn't put it together about your quirk and that could have been dangerous."

"Well, you helped in the end so it's okay."

"Yeah, that is so cool how you did that." Mina grinned and walked by them grabbing her costume box. "I had a partner that glowed too, but he was a little… eccentric."

Momo rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "At least Aoyama just sparkles and wasn't trying to look up your costume every chance he got."

"Uh yeah… How did that little perv even get in this class?" Jiro questioned. "He didn't even do anything during our match."

"He did more than I did in mine…" the invisible Toru's slumped shoulders shook in frustration, "… we didn't even get to leave the bomb room before we got caught."

The other girls sighed and came over her side to comfort her. "Ah don't worry about it. Todoroki is just crazy strong. He would have done that to anyone." Uraraka smiled and patted the sulking girls shoulder. "I didn't do much in my match either. If Deku didn't help me out I would have been toast."

"It should be expected though, it's only the second day of school. We have much to learn from this place." Momo told them all, the rest of them giving a smile.

Katara rubbed her head and chuckled. 'That is true. I hope this can teach me a lot more of what to do in this place.'

A few minutes later they walked out of the locker room back to their homeroom. As they made it through the door, Katara looked around and saw most of the boys already back in their seats. All except for one.

"Hey, where's Midoriya?" She asked their teacher.

"He's still in the infirmary with Recovery Girl." Aizawa bluntly answered from his seat.

"What!?" Uraraka's eyes shot open to the news, "Deku's still not better?"

Aizawa raised his eyebrow. "Deku?" His eyes then shifted over to Bakugo slouching in his seat, remembering what he called Midoriya yesterday. "Yes, he's still recovering. He most likely won't be up for the remainder of class today."

"He's hurt that bad?" Uraraka put her hands together as she worried about her friend.

"He will most likely be out at the end of the day, so he will have to catch up on our studies afterwards. Now, all you back to your seats."

Following his instructions, Katara walked down the row to her seat. As she did though her eyes once again met with Todoroki who was watching her approach. She took a deep breath and sat down, looking back to the front of the class.

"Nice match…" She sighed out, still trying to be the bigger person. He also looked forward and nodded.

"Your match was good as well. I'm glad you didn't lose."

Her eyes widened at the random compliment out of nowhere from him. She turned back to her left as her mind was trying to accept what he just said. "What?" she stuttered out.

"I said I'm glad you didn't lose." Todoroki repeated himself again, confirming what she heard.

She was for sure he was hoping she was going to her match. But… he wanted her to win? _'Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought before. I must have been thinking too much about it. And perhaps-_

"I want to be the one to defeat you." He suddenly said.

Her shoulder sank from the hope she just built up. _'And back to square one.'_

* * *

The afternoon classes went by pretty quick surprisingly for Katara. Most of the day was simply talking about different scenarios and what heroes should do in those situations. Some ranged from a simple injured citizen on the street all the way to disaster events. Some were so cut and dry she was confused why these were even questions. There were a few however she listened to quite intently as the topic came to hostage situations. Before it got more in depth however, the school bell signaling the end of the day rang.

"All right, that is the end of class. Be back tomorrow. Goodnight."Aizawa blandly answered and walked out of the classroom.

"Wait, you said Deku was going to be back and the end of the day." Uraraka yelled out from the back.

"I said he may be. I'm not the doctor…" he grunted from the doorway, "...If you want to wait for him go ahead, but I have your assessments from today to grade. So goodnight."

Left sitting in the classroom, Katara looked over to Uraraka and saw her concerned face staring at the desk. She herself was a bit worried about his condition and wanted to see when he was getting up. Leaning over, she put her hand on her friends shoulder and smiled. "Hey, I can wait with you if you want."

The gravity girl's face lit up from her offer. "Really!? Yes, I want to wait! I'm really worried how he is."

"Then we can wait…" Katara looked to Tenya in front of them, "...right?"

He nodded to the both of them. "Of course. I would like to see his condition as well."

Tsu turned around in her seat after overhearing their conversation. "Do you mind if I wait here too? I would like to see how he is too."

"Yeah, I'll stay too." Kirishima chimed in. "I have to give props to what he did back there!"

Several other students began chiming in as they all wanted to see his recovery, the warm feeling spreading through the rest of the students all willing to wait until their injured classmate returned.

All except one.

Jiro gave a questioning look as Bakugo got up and walked towards the exit. "Wait, you aren't going to stay for Midoriya?"

"Why the hell would I? That doesn't concern me." he growled out as he stomped towards the door.

Ojiro glared up at the angry teen to his statement. "No concern? You were the one who hurt him."

"Yeah? Well maybe he shouldn't have been a dumb ass and get hit by my blast."

Katara felt her anger rise from his words, standing up from her seat and walking forward. "Hey, Why don't you quit being a jerk for one second?"

Bakugo stopped walking and shot a cold look towards her. "What the hell do you want?"

"What's your deal? You purposely were trying to hurt Midoriya during your match, and after it all you don't even have the decency to see if he is okay." She scolded him.

Bakugo bared his teeth and sneered. "Why do you even care? This shit doesn't even concern you."

"Well he is my new friend, so it is my concern." Katara shot back at him.

"His new friend? That's cute, hair loops. You know him for one day and suddenly you are buddy buddy now..." he turned away and went for the door again. "… you trying to be his little white knight doesn't make me want to stay."

"It's not me being a… whatever that is, but you don't seem to care about anyone but yourself."

"Come on Bakugo, you don't have to be all hardcore…" Kirishima chimed in, "… It wouldn't kill you to wait a bit to check out how he's doing."

"I would rather bite my own damn tongue off than wait for Deku. I am out of here." Bakugo adjusted his backpack and stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door behind him. The other students all were left standing in silence after the small argument.

"Well… that happened." Kaminari awkwardly broke the quiet scene.

Katara took a few breaths to calm her temper. She reached up and rubbed her head a few times to massage her scalp. She knew he had a temper, but even just trying to have a normal conversation seemed like pulling teeth for Bakugo. Was it even worth trying to talk to him at all, or she just let him be the way he is?

"Why do I always get in the middle of everything…" She sighed to herself and turned to go back to her seat before the door to the class room opened up once more. She turned back around and gained a small smile when she saw the familiar green hair come inside. "Midoriya, you're up!" She yelled happily.

"Deku, you're back!" Uraraka ran forward and straight to the now blushing boy. She noticed he still had a cast on his right arm. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"

"Uh I-I I'm fine! Thank you!" He quickly responded, "R-Recovery Girl says I can finish treatment tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Wow, you must have been pretty hurt." Katara stated softly. Midoriya rubbed his head awkwardly at his condition, but couldn't respond as he was suddenly swarmed by the other enthusiastic students.

"Wow, you were sure something out there man!" Kirishima pumped his fist to the manliness he saw. "You are a tough one! I'm Ejiro Kirishima by the way!"

"you were really great, that was awesome! Mina Ashido!"

Katara stepped back as Mina and a few others began introducing themselves, laughing at the flustered face of Midoriya. She could tell he obviously wasn't used to being the center of attention, and the redness in his face only got worse as Uraraka got closer to talk. 'Aw, that's cute…' she whispered to herself. She then noticed Midoriya staring to the empty desk in front of his own seat, his face looking more shocked than before.

"Wait… where's Kachaan?" he suddenly asked out loud.

"Bakugo? Ah, well he took off a few minutes ago." Kaminari answered.

"We tried convincing him to stay, but he wouldn't listen." Uraraka added too, her face looking somewhat perplexed why he was even asking about him.

Katara shook her head and walked towards him. "Don't worry about him. He doesn't want to wait so you shouldn't- wha, hey!"

She was left in shock as Midoriya spun around and sprinted out of the classroom. "Midoriya, wait!" Katara ran forward and caught sight of him running down the halls towards the staircase. "He's going after Bakugo, seriously?"

Uraraka sat silent in annoyance that Midoriya would even want to go talk to Bakugo after what happened in their match. "Maybe he wants to confront Bakugo himself and figure this out himself… right?"

Jiro sighed and rubbed her head. "We waited to see how he was doing and then he just dips out."

Tsu raised her finger to her chin as she stood awkwardly with the others. "I wonder why Midoriya would want to go after him." She turned around and noticed Todoroki walking towards her, backpack already in tow. "Ribbit… you are leaving too?"

"We saw he is up and okay. Therefore I am going home now." Shoto quietly said and walked passed the others out of the class. But not before his eyes met Katara's. The two of them never broke gaze even as they passed each other by the door. The young waterbender stood silently as the other students began mumbling to themselves about packing up as well. She however kept her eyes on the now empty doorway where the dual haired boy had just gone through. She quickly glanced back into the class and saw everyone else were gathering there things, and weren't looking towards her.

Seeing her chance, Katara quietly walked out of the room and turned to see Shoto already down the main hall and turning towards the stairs himself. Running down the empty hall, she reached the corner and skidded to a stop behind him.

"Todoroki!"

Her call echoed down the empty hallway reaching his ears and making him stop walking. He turned around and stared at her for a few moments before she spoke again.

"Ever since I came to this school, I've been getting along with everyone here fine except for Bakugo. And while you haven't been as much of a jerk, I can tell with what's going on there is something wrong. I've seen the way you look at me… the way you talk towards me and that challenge you made at me today."

Todoroki gave a small tsk at her final statement. "So you noticed that… I'm glad."

She grunted at him before taking another breath. "So why are you acting this way?"

His eyes narrowed her direction. "I think you know why…"

Katara felt her chest tighten at those words. She knew why, and now she finally heard him confirm it. She looked away and rubbed her head awkwardly. "So your dad did tell you about me, didn't he?"

"No, he never has. I found out myself." he answered.

Her eyes looked at him in confusion to how he did, but she figured that was a waste of time. "Then there's no reason to hide it. Yes, me and your father had a… misunderstanding when I first came here to Japan. I was confused and caused a few problems and he tried to arrest me."

"And you got away, much to his disappointment…" Shoto rubbed his own neck as he thought back to his fathers nights yelling when a news articles came out about that night. "You made it hard to be home even more than normal back then."

She could sense the harsh undertone in his voice, making her more uneasy. "So, is that the reason you hate me?"

"Hate you?" Shoto raised his eyebrow to the accusation. "I do not hate you for fighting my father. In fact, I wish you could have hurt more than his pride back then."

Katara looked at him and could see a different emotion she had seen before. One of lifelong hatred to someone close to them. It was the same thing she saw in Zuko. "So… if you don't hate me, what is with this challenge you want with me?"

He sat silent for a few moments before sighing to himself and walking back towards the exit. "If I beat you, then I can stick one more thing to in that man, something that he failed at."

She was beginning to become more confused to what he was going at, taking several steps after him. "What did he do to you?"

He almost stopped to her question, his fist slightly shaking before he shoved them into his pockets and continued on. "That is not your concern. Just know this is not personal, but I will surpass you here at this school."

Watching him walk away, Katara stood silently as Todoroki finally disappeared out of sight and down the stairs, leaving her with more questions than she had before she followed him out here.

* * *

A few hours later, Katara was back at her place laying on her bed. Her eyes blankly stared at the ceiling as she replayed the day in her head over and over. What Todoroki told her really bothered her, and her mind began spinning thinking of all the different things that could've been wrong. The more she thought of the way he talked about his father in those few sentences showed there was definitely something wrong with his home life, and it was obvious Endeavor was the cause of it.

There was also the practice match today that opened her eyes to a lot more than she realized. The close call with Tsu reminded her of the times she faced people who couldn't bend and still held their own against her. Their physical speed and strength that some powers gave made it very interesting, not to mention someone like Tokoyami's power that was extremely powerful and had its advantages… but then she saw what happened in the end.

"Tokoyami's quirk is powerful, but once I got in close I beat him without bending…" She whispered to herself out loud, "… and Tsu is stronger than a normal girl, but being a frog makes her weak to cold. Quirks are so interesting."

Speaking of Tsu, her mind went back to seeing her on the ground unconscious. Katara still felt bad for what she did. Sure it was a match in training, but if she left the ice on too long? Could she have actually…?

Her eyes shifted to the phone lying next to her on the nightstand. She reached over and opened the main page, scrolling to the message icon she saw earlier. She opened it and found Tsu's name in the list and clicked it, taking her to another blank page. "So… I just-

Her answer came as she touched the screen again, a small keyboard suddenly popping up below. Curiously, she pushed one of the symbols and simultaneously the screen above wrote the same word. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and typed out the rest of what she wanted.

**Hey Tsu, hope you are doing well. Are you feeling better than before?**

She stared at it for a few moments, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she shook the phone in her hand a few times in frustration. "Come on, what happens now!?" she growled at herself. Without realizing her finger clicked the green arrow key underneath, making her phone give off a small jingle.

"Oh… I guess that's it." she sighed to herself scratching her head. Maybe she should have asked Tensei about this thing before she tried texting someone to make sure-

BZZZZZZZ.

The phone suddenly vibrated in her hand, and a small letter icon popped up on screen. She stared at it for a moment before clicking on that box, taking her back to the page with her statement above and then a new one down below.

**I'm fine, thank you. You were really tough today. You got me good :p**

"Wow, that is really nice. It's like instant notes to each other." Katara giggled to herself and began typing again.

**You were great too, today. You almost had me in the end of the battle. Maybe we can train together sometime after school.**

Sent.

Bzzzz.

**Ribbit. That sounds exciting. I won't lose this time.**

Katara chuckled to herself while reading the text. Partly to Tsu's enthusiasm to a rematch, and to the fact at what she was doing. She was talking to someone by… clicking a screen. It was so strange and new yet so exciting to her. The fact she didn't have to write down on paper and send it was so crazy. Not having to wait for a response.

"Wow, this thing really is cool."

Bzzzz.

Katara assumed Tsu was saying something again, but then she noticed another symbol popped up on her screen. She clicked on the bubble and it took her to another texting screen. Her eyes then caught the name on the top.

"Yaoyorozu?" she said as she looked to the notes below.

**Hey Katara, great job on your match today. You were really amazing!**

**Jiro and I were going to the meet up at the mall in thirty minutes. Would you like to join us?**

Katara was really surprised by the sudden message and invite. Although she had just done the same thing to Tsu so she didn't think too much about it. She did feel a bit excited about the fact of simply going to hang out with just girls. She did like Tensei, Tenya and the rest of their family, but when it's all boys and their mother it does get a little… monotonous. A little change was something she was looking forward to.

She gave a small smile and went to the keyboard.

**Thank you. You were amazing today too. And yes, that sounds fun. I'll meet you there.**

* * *

Back in his office, Aizawa sat reading over the results from the mock battle tests that his students conducted today. Normally when other staff members conducted the results from their day teaching the students, they would give in depth analysis of each and every member of the class. The teachers here at UA, while in his opinion too lenient on the entrance requirements (midoriya popping back into his mind), they all did a great job at evaluating the students once they were here.

And then there was All Might.

"Is this what he thinks is great evaluations?" Aizawa scoffed as he read some of the notes written down on the sheets delivered to him.

_Mina Ashido: very outgoing but loud. Not sneaky._

_Yuga Aoyama: Loves his cape too much._

_They lost._

Aizawa's eyebrow twitched from the three sentences written on the teams page. "You expect me to grade them on this?"

The sudden knock on his door made him turn up and see the culprit of his suffering come inside. "So All Might, your first day of teaching and this is what you decided to write down?"

Toshinori Yagi walked through the door in his skinny form and loose fitting yellow suit. He looked to the nearly blank page held up by the eraser hero, making him sigh in embarrasment. "It's my first time, you know? I was a bit distracted keeping an eye on them I forgot to write down the results until afterward."

"How about you just write it on your hand so you don't forget next time?" Aizawa annoyingly grunted as he flipped through the many other pages that he was given. "You didn't even write down time of match ending, their strengths or weaknesses, or what was-

"Okay, okay I get it!" Toshinori waved his hands at the criticism, "I'll work on doing better next time. That is why I came here, actually. I wanted to go over some of the students personally."

Aizawa sat quietly as his coworker sat down in the chair across his desk from him. He looked back down and pulled out a specific page he took notice of earlier. "Yes, and how about you explain why this is the only testing group that had any form of analysis."

Toshinori's eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the page discussing Midoriya's match. While the others were as bland as can be, this one actually was nearly half filled with different statements about the results. "Well, it was the first match so I did end up-

"Ended up writing about the one with Midoriya…" Aizawa cut him off, "… So you were watching him during the quirk test and during your own mock battle. I told you picking favorites is not something to be doing."

"I didn't pick him as my favorite…" Toshinori lied, "… I am just very impressed with the resolve he has. For someone with such a self destructive quirk, he is still working so hard to be the best hero he can be. He does not give up and even won his match against two of the stronger students in the class. And…" the number one hero rubbed his head and sighed, "… that is one thing I want to talk about."

"And what is that?" Aizawa groaned as he expected to hear more excuses about the self injuring student.

"It's about Bakugo."

That did catch the eraser hero off guard and made him look back to All Might. "It's about his temper, correct?"

"I mean a temper is one thing for someone to have, Aizawa. Most kids have their own things they should work on. But what I saw today, that wasn't just anger. It was something a lot deeper. I even spoke to him after school outside and it seemed like he was simply so proud that he didn't want to accept his loss. I would like to keep an eye out on him from now on."

Hearing that made Aizawa think back to the quirk test moment when he had to restrain the angry teen. He also noticed the way Bakugo tried to go at Midoriya simply for throwing the ball, he then imagined what he could have done during an actual combat match with each other. "I have noticed he is quite the hot headed one. I'll make sure to watch him."

Toshinori nodded. "Thanks. He is extremely talented, and just needs the push in the right direction. Oh, I almost forgot, there was another one I wanted to mention to you." Toshinori leaned onto his knees and popped his neck. "What do you know of Katara?"

"Katara?" Aizawa thought for a second before he remembered. "Ah her. The water quirk user. What about her?"

"Well calling it a water quirk is an understatement. She can also control it from water to ice at will."

Aizawa's ears perked up. "She didn't show that during my assessment test and she still placed towards the top of the class. To have a quirk that can control water to ice and back is difficult even for pros. The energy needed to change its temperature at that level should be too much for a student."

"Indeed she is very talented. She is also a natural when it comes to combat even when she ran out of water to use. But that's not what I want to discuss. It seems she is also able to heal with her quirk."

"What?" Aizawa gave a questioning look, "A healing ability mixed with an elemental quirk? Now you are messing with me."

"I am not. After her match Asui was in need of going to the infirmary, but Katara used her quirk and somehow helped her recover. She even healed a cut on her cheek. She didn't register that on her entrance form, did she?"

Aizawa sat silent staring at the number one hero. He reached down and opened the file cabinet to his right, digging through until he reached the "K" section. He pulled out the file he was looking for and flipped it open. His eyes saw the photo of Katara on top and then went down below.

"Kairi Katara. Quirk: Waterbending. Can manipulate water in any form. So by any form I assume ice is included. But you're right; nothing about healing put in here."

Toshinori scratched his chin as he thought about it. "I mean, it could be possible somehow that her quirk could do something like this, or it's a blend between her parents quirks. There are so many variations to powers these days it's hard to keep track. What I don't understand is why she tried to hide it when the other students asked her. She claimed it was her water freezing the cut closed, but I could tell that wasn't the truth."

Looking back to the page, Aizawa read over her information. "It says she is an exchange student staying here for cultural learning of Japan. Where exactly is not explained actually. In fact… there is little about her. No previous education, no foreign address. She is however staying with the hero Ingenium."

"Ingenium?" Toshinori exclaimed, "Young Lida's older brother. I've met him several times, and he has a really good heart. Hmm, well if he is letting her live with him he must really trust her."

"He may…" Aizawa eyes went back to the photo of the girl in question, his gaze narrowing as some questions formed in his head, "…but there is always more to anyone. You just need to dig a little deeper."

* * *

After a quick train ride over a few stations, Katara made her way off and down the street. She had changed from her UA outfit into a pair of jeans and a tan shirt, glad to be in something more casual. After a few minutes she found her way to the main mall entrance and smiled to herself.

"So a girls hangout day. Been a while since that." She chuckled out loud and pulled her phone out again. She flipped open her messages to Yaoyorozu and began typing.

**Hey I made it. Where did you want to meet?**

Katara waited a few moments before her phone vibrated.

**I'm almost there! I got held up at home. Parents, Ugh :( . Let's meet at the food court, I'm starving!**

She stared curiously at the little symbol in the middle of the message and realized what it was supposed to be. She couldn't help but laugh to herself for a few seconds at the face. "Now that is actually really clever."

Slipping it back in her pocket, she made her way through the crowded halls as people strolled through the stores. After reaching the large dining area, she took a seat at one of the empty tables and gazed out to the many different people walking around. Even after several months here, she still was amazed by the enormous variety of people that lived here. Whether it was a talking bear man or a tree woman, she still would have to control her reactions every time something surprised her.

After a few minutes of people watching, her eyes caught sight of a familiar spiky ponytail walking towards her, and its owner wearing a gray turtle neck and a large smile on her face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, my mom got home a little late and was set on going over what happened at school today." Yaoyorozu explained as she approached.

Katara just waved her hand and stood up. "You're fine, I just got here a few minutes ago. Where's Jiro, isn't she coming?"

"She text me and said she will be a little late. Her dad asked about helping move some equipment around their house real quick."

"Well alright then. You said you wanted to eat first?"

Momo's eyes widened at those words and nodded her head. "yes please. I have been dying since that mock battle earlier."

"You okay?" Katara questioned.

"I will be in a few minutes." Momo chuckled as she signaled Katara to follow her to the pretzel stand on the side, the creationist pulling out a credit card and smiling. "I can cover this one."

The two girls ordered four large pretzels, even though only one was for Katara. The waterbender enjoyed hers slowly as she glanced over to Momo, the taller girl already finished with her first and biting into her second one.

"Jeez, and I thought I could eat a lot when I was hungry." Katara laughed as she saw Momo's face blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry, it's just I didn't get to eat after the match, and I used up quite a large amount of lipids creating that barricade." the creationist explained as she continued eating.

Watching her companion finish off the second pretzel before she finished her own single one left Katara somewhat amazed… and once again her eyes drifting to the slim waistline of Yaoyorozu. _'Damn girl is lucky. I have to train almost daily to look like this…"_ she laughed internally to herself. Katara looked back up and swallowed her bite. "So, you have to recharge pretty much after every fight?"

"Pretty much. I always try to watch how much I create throughout the day so I don't overexert myself. It's one of the downsides of my quirk." Momo sighed as she wiped her mouth clean.

"But you have an amazing power, you can create anything you want."

"I mean, yes… but I have to actually know how it's made, and the larger it is the more energy I use. I can't just keep making things nonstop."

Katara sat thinking about that for a moment as they continued walking through the mall. "Hmm, I guess that is true. I didn't think about that. I'm so used to powers that deal with elements where I come from."

"Back in your village, right?" Momo took another bite of her final pretzel before continuing, "I was hoping to talk to you about that."

"Uh, about what?" Katara hesitantly asked.

"About how you learned to… freeze cuts closed."

The small smirk on Yaoyorozu's face said it all for Katara, who rolled her eyes and rubbed her neck. "That obvious, huh?"

Momo just nodded her head. "The fact that isn't how healing works kinda gave that one away, but some of the others seemed to believe it so I didn't bring it up anymore. I was hoping to talk about this before Jiro showed up too."

"You really are smart, aren't you?" Katara grunted and threw her trash away. "I didn't want to lie. It's just… I didn't know how people here would take it."

"What do you mean?" Momo questioned.

Katara gave herself a few moments to create a small explanation, while mixing in a small amount of truth in as well. "You see… from my village, the water quirk users are sometimes gifted with the ability to heal with water. You can use your own energy and blend it with the water and can heal either yourself or others. I didn't say that earlier because it's not a common thing from my home and didn't want to bring unwanted attention to myself."

Momo stared at her curiously for several seconds before taking a deep breath. "I understand actually."

"What?" Katara turned in surprise to hearing that. "You do?" she then noticed the change on her companion's face. Momo's smile had vanished and was replaced with one of hurt.

"Yes. Having a quirk that can cause unwanted attention to yourself I do know of. You see… I can create any non living item, which includes money. As soon as my quirk manifested, there were some kids in my school who would… exploit me for funds."

Katara noticed Yaoyorozu's hand grip her own side as she brought up memories she obviously was not fond of, but the taller girl must have noticed and gave a smile her direction. "Oh it was just a lot of teasing… don't worry. It wasn't too bad. It just made me a little more hesitant using my quirk at all when I was little. So yes, I do know how it feels about not wanting to use your quirk sometimes."

While she was no expert, Katara could sense a slight hint of secrecy to what she was saying. There was more to her story, but Yaoyorozu was willing to keep her secret to herself for now, so she was not going to press it at the moment. "I understand too. So… you mind just keeping this between us for now?" Katara asked her.

"Yes, don't worry. I'm not going to put you on the spot in front of others. I just wanted to be clear myself." Momo responded.

"Thanks." Katara smiled to her new friend. She still felt somewhat bad not just telling her what it was, but from what she had seen in this new world the more things she could do the more questions she would get. In time who knows… perhaps she would tell some of her new friends the truth.

"Hey, everyone has their own things they aren't comfortable sharing, but if you ever need to get something off your chest I'll be there to listen."Momo then felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out. "Oh, Jiro said she just got here by the south entrance."

"Well, lets go meet her then." Katara said and followed Yaoyorozu down the crowded walkway. After a few minutes they ran into their late companion coming towards them, her head buried in her phone and not noticing them approaching. Both of them sighed as the earphone girl walked right by them not even seeing them standing to her side. "now she is beyond a little distracted."

"Yeah, looks like it…" Momo rolled her eyes and scratched her head, "… she would walk into water if it were in front of her."

As if fate were calling, Jiro walked straight forward and tripped over a chair sticking out from a table. Both girls winced as their distracted friend yelped in shock and toppled to the ground. Jiro flipped around and looked right up at thw two of them, her face beat red in embarrasment.

"Wh-what are you two looking at?" Jiro snapped out in frustration, only bringing them to burst out laughing at her position.

 _'Okay, now I'm glad i came here tonight.'_ Katara chuckled to herself s she helped up the blushing girl. "I think we can keep this between us."

**author notes: oh ho ho... some confrontations and revelations here in this chapter. Not just with katara... but Momo has some secrets. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Next week... the real fun begins...**


	14. Getting Votes

Sitting alone in his room, bakugo sulked on his bed thinking over what had gone over the day. First, he had somehow lost to Deku. How in the hell did that happen? When did that useless twerp surpass him in the last year? He could not believe it even though it happened. Even after school, that stupid water girl had to get in his face again defending Deku. She didn't even know him, and yet she's acting all like they are best buddies. It made him want to puke.

If that weren't all enough and could finally get away from it all, he was followed. Midoriya chased him down and had the nerve to try and make him feel better after school. All it did though was rub salt in the wound.

"Damn it, Deku…" katsuki cursed between his teeth, "… when did you suddenly change, you little bastard? Then you try and make me feel better about-

He paused when he remembered what Midoriya said to him outside the school. Something about… a borrowed power. What did he mean by that? And it just so happened that this all changed after that incident with All Might the year before. In fact, it just so happened that Everything changed in the last year. All might suddenly coming to UA, Midoriya suddenly getting a quirk after they were saved by All Might. There was no way this was just a coincidence… was it?

"Grr…. Damn it!" bakugo growled and sat up. He was too upset to think about it anymore. He needed to blow off some steam. He stomped over to the barbell weights in the corner and slipped on thirty pounds to each side. "I'm not letting that little bastard stay ahead of me!"

He grunted and lifted it up, pumping out curls as fast as he could. "just you wait Deku! I'll kick your ass next time!"

He kept going even as his arms burned. "Ahhh! DIE YOU PUNY WEIGHTS!"

The pounding on his door almost broke his focus. "Katsuki! Shut up in there and keep it down!"

"SHUT UP MOM, I'M WORKING OUT!" he shot back.

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!?" she shouted back through the closed door, "Either keep it down or do it outside!"

"JUST SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG! THIS IS MY ROOM, I CAN DO WHAT I-

The door being kicked down cut his words off, and he nearly dropped the weight on his feet when he saw the burning red eyes of his mother enter his room. "You wanna say that to me now, you little shit!?"

Katsuki bared his teeth and shot back. "What the hell!? You broke my door!"

"I don't care, its coming out of your allowance!"

"you were the one who broke the damn thing!"

"Uhh… honey…" katsuki's father Masaru poked his head around the corner, "… you should keep it down and not-

"Shut up, babe! He isn't listening!"

"Yeah, shut up, Dad! Stay out of my room!"

"Hey, don't talk to your father that way!"

"You do all the time, so I can too!"

Masaru just sat and watched as the other two family members turned back on each other in the next moment. He scratched the side of his head and sighed. "Do other families do this stuff? Why couldn't he just be calm like his old friend Midoriya?"

* * *

"Achoo!"

Midoriya rubbed his nose from the sudden sneeze that came over him. Shaking his head, he rubbed his forearm in its cast and was glad to see it wasn't bothering him as much. He pulled it out of the sling and stretched his joints, wincing from the sting but happy it was mobile.

"At least Recovery Girl is able to fix my injuries… but I can't keep doing this." He muttered to himself and sat back on his bed. "All might trusted his power to me, and if I can't make this power my own soon I will fall behind everyone else."

He reached down with his good hand and picked up the small weight by his bed and began curling it up. He scolded himself for how the match turned out today. Sure he won, but at what cost? It was by luck that he found himself below the bomb and his plan worked out. If anything he could have destroyed the target they were trying to capture. So much for being a good hero.

"If Kachaan gave me so much trouble, then I won't have a chance later after school."

He was also disappointed since he was passed out, he could not witness the rest of the matches that took place after his. He always envied watching quirks used in combat, and having the chance to analyze his classmates could have given him an advantage later in the school year.

"I only really saw Kachaan's new moves from this match with his gear, so that's something…" he mumbled out loud, "I couldn't see the others like Katara actually fight. It would have been-

His mind suddenly pictured his new friend in her blue hero costume, the outfit for some reason sticking out in his mind. "Wait… it…. It can't be."

He dropped the weight on the ground and ran over to his computer and clicked it on. He felt his mind spinning as he watched the loading screen open up and the pass code entry port popped up. He frantically typed so fast he messed up his pass code twice before slowing down and doing it right. "I- It's probably not the same thing!" he stuttered to himself as the screensaver came up and he clicked on the files link.

Being the hero fan he always has been, Midoriya may even be considered obsessive by how many things he knew of so many heroes. Even random no names on the streets, he would find out where they went to school and at least one fight they were involved in. And of course the top ranked heroes were always the things he researched the most. Then four months ago, he ran into something he didn't expect. The number two hero Endeavor, who was the father of one of his classmates that still blew his mind, was said to have engaged a mysterious person in Hosu city. And this person used water.

He tried finding information about this event, but to his surprise the trail went cold after a week or so. There was no confirmation to what happened and news of bigger villains attacking in Kyushu and south of Tokyo Bay ran strong, soon overtaking this event. The one article that had a photo Midoriya decided to download, which was lucky since the website decided to take it down the next day. When he opened the file, he felt his heart jump in his throat when he saw the picture. "N-no way…"

It was quite blurry, but Midoriya could still see the water floating around the one controlling it. Then he saw the familiar blue outfit worn by his own classmate.

* * *

The next day, Katara and Tenya made there way off the train station towards UA high. The young waterbender walked with a little more hop in her step than normal and a smile on her face. After Jiro met up with her and Yaoyorozu, the three of them had a great time simply browsing through the mall window shopping and chatting. Occasionally they would come across a store one of them liked and would spend a few minutes browsing. But just having a night hanging out with other girls was something she really did miss.

' _Maybe I could get them to do a girls spa day too… although I don't think Jiro would be into that.'_ she chuckled to herself. Her thoughts were cut off as her and Tenya approached the entrance that was swarmed by a mob of people standing there.

"Well this is certainly unexpected…" Tenya said as they came to a stop behind the crowd. "I'm not sure what this all about."

"Are these parents?" Katara questioned, having no idea what was happening until one of the adults in the back turned and saw them.

"Hey, we have two more right here!" the guy called out, followed most of the people flipping around to face them.

Katara jumped back in shock as dozens of adults suddenly swarmed both her and Tenya, some holding cameras and another woman shoving a mic up to her face. Now she realized who these people were.

"Miss, what can you tell us about All Might as a teacher!? How does it feel to study underneath the number one hero?" the reporter woman blurted out.

"Eh… what?" Katara sat puzzledd, unsure what to say. "I mean… he's always smiling, and-

"What does he teach you when you are with him?"

"Can you bring All Might out for some questions?"

"What is the best thing he has done for you in class so far?"

"Uhh…" Katara was overwhelmed by the group of people hoarding her for answers that she was unsure how to even answer before she felt Tenya grip her shoulders and push her through the crowd.

"Please, it is very rude for you all to overwhelm a single girl like this!" Iida scolded the reporters as he pushed his friend towards the entrance. "You should be curteous and only interview students that wish to talk to you all!"

Katara smiled as she finally made it through the nosy reporters and through the main gates. "Thanks for the save there."

"Don't worry, there is no need for you to bother with them, Katara." Iida responded with a smile… just before turning back to the crowd and standing tall. "Now if you would like some answers, I will happily give them to you all!"

"Wow… you would be that way." Katara groaned and gripped the back of his jacket and towed him into the campus gates as he chopped the air in resistance.

"Wait, how dare you cut off my interview!? I have great things to say about our campus!"

The reporters sat annoyed as they didn't get anything useful for their programming. The one particular female reporter stomped ahead of the group for more. "Well if they won't bring All Might out, then we are going in for some more answers from the- woah!"

The large steel security gates shot up from the ground and sealed the entrance off from the determined reporters, now all of them complaining how they wouldn't get good video to send to the editors back at their respective stations. "This is ridiculous! How can they have All Might as a teacher and not let us ask a few questions about it!? Hey, you in there! Let us speak to him just for a few minutes!"

As the group of media teams bustled outside the massive steel doors, none of them noticed a single figure standing across the street from them. His scraggly bluish-gray hair rustled in the breeze as his scarred lips curled into a cold grin.

"This wretched school, full of little brats who worship trash. It is time to bring down this broken society. And to do that… the time has come to kill that symbol you all look up to."

* * *

"We what?"

Aizawa sighed as the class questioned his statement. "Yes, you will have to choose a class representative."

Before Katara could even ask what he meant, multiple students through the class began screaming out asking for the task themselves. Even Bakugo was yelling like a maniac trying to get his voice through to the teacher.

"Wait… what does a class rep do?" Katara tried asking Uraraka what all the commotion was, but Tenya suddenly stood up and raised his hand high.

"All of you, calm yourselves! No one can just jump into this position. The class representitive is the one who is the organizer for the rest of our student body in 1-A. They are responsible for what the class does and to keep them in line. To have that position, you must have the trust of the other students. Therefore I suggest we have a vote to choose who it will be!"

"Well there is your answer." Uraraka chuckled as the waterbender stared up to her friend.

"Whatever, just hurry and finish before my nap is over." Aizawa groaned and rolled in the corner inside his sleeping bag.

' _Does he carry that thing everywhere with him?'_ Katara asked herself as the classmates passed small sheets of paper. She grabbed the single page from Koda in front of her and stared at it for a few moments. _'So, someone to represent our class, huh? Like a team leader per say.'_

Her eyes glanced around the class seeing the other students. She noticed Momo in the back, immediately remembering how well she analyzed the matches and knew exactly what to be improved on every time. Someone like that would certainly be a good head of the class. She then looked over to-

"Huh?" She caught a glimpse of Midoriya staring at her intently from the other side of the class, and the moment their eyes met he blushed and whipped his head back forward. "What was that about?" she wondered as she saw him sweating slightly. She would figure what was wrong with him later.

She then noticed Iida. Her good friend for the last few months. While he may be eccentric and by the books, she knew he was beyond smart and always ran by a tight schedule. Someone like that would for sure not slack off on keeping things in order and doing the right thing. She smiled to herself and made her decision, jotting his name down on her piece of paper and passing it forward through the row.

A few minutes later all the votes were to the front and Aizawa crawled out of his yellow bag. Yawning, he read through the pages and tallied up the votes on the whiteboard in front. "Alright, here are your votes for the class rep."

The groggy teacher moved out of the way revealing the chart, bringing a mix of gasps to the classroom. One of them coming from Katara.

"Wait… five votes!?" Katara yelled as she saw her name at the top.

"Hey, what the hell kind of crap is this!? Who voted for hair loops over there!?" Bakugo yelled out from the front of the class.

"What, are you mad that no one voted for you?" Sero teased the angry blonde.

"Shut up, Elbow guy! You didn't even get a vote!"

Katara would have opened her mouth against the outburst, but she was so shocked by the votes for her.

"Congrats, Katara…" Tsu said from her seat, "I knew I made a good choice."

"Wait, you voted for me?" the stunned waterbender asked, getting a nod from the frog girl.

"As did I. Your strategy against us earned my respect." Tokoyami added in.

She sat in silence as they both looked at her, her eyes noticing a familiar red head looking her direction. She turned to Kirishima giving her a thumbs up. She smiled back at him realizing one of the votes came from him too.

Aizawa tapped his pages on his desk as he looked back to the board. "Alright, we also have a tie for second place with two votes each. The students are Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu."

"What!?" Midoriya gasped in surprise, "Me? Who would pick me?"

"Yeah, who the hell would pick him!?" Bakugo screamed in annoyance.

"Bakugo, keep it down…" Aizawa mumbled, "… Like I told you at the beginning of class, you need to control that temper of yours when things don't go your way. The class voted so that is that. Now, we will choose who will take the position and-

"I withdraw my position!" Midoriya shot out instantly, the teacher rolling his eyes to the situation.

"Okay... Midoriya is out, so the class rep will be Kairi Katara, and deputy will be Momo Yaoyorozu."

Walking to the front of the room, the two chosen students turned and faced the rest of the class. Katara peeked out of the corner of her eye to the taller girl next to her, the two of them giving a small smile to each other. For the shorter of the two, she was quite surprised that she was chosen among all the other students. She noticed Todoroki's cold stare from the back of the room, but chose to ignore it as she looked to the other students smiling. For this moment, she was feeling very happy.

From his desk, Tenya sighed quietly as he looked to his friend standing up at the front of the class. It was his choice to set up the voting for the rep, only to be disappointed by getting one vote. He was beaten again by her, but let a small chuckle out and smiled.

"Well, you are quite special, Katara. That's why I voted for you as well."

* * *

The next few classes seemed to drag on for Katara, the teen trying hard not to let her eyes shut on her. Once the lunch bell finally rang she sighed in relief and leaned back in her seat. "Okay… this school stuff is not as fun as I thought it would be."

following the others out of the main room, Katara felt a bump on her side and looked over to Mina grinning at her.

"Well look at you, super star. First you ace the entrance exam and now you are the class rep. You are a boss." the pink girl giggled.

Katara blushed and rubbed her head. "Thanks. Just surprised so many people voted for me, though."

Mina held her chin as she thought out loud. "Well, you got me. I heard Tsu say she did and then-

"Wait, you voted for me too?" Katara asked.

"Well duh… why wouldn't I vote for you!" Mina chuckled, "You sure know how to take charge, and you got quite the fight in you. I saw that move in the end of the match, that was pretty smooth."

Katara gave a small shrug trying to brush it off. "I've had quite a bit of practice growing up."

"Yeah, looks like it. Even the way you control water looks like a type of fighting style."

"I mean, it is somewhat like that actually." Katara answered, her eyes catching sight of a drinking fountain down a side hallway. "Hey, I'm a little parched actually. Gonna grab a drink real quick."

"Alrighty, see ya there." Mina smiled and continued forward as Katara broke away from the group. She leaned down and flipped the water on, savoring the cool water as she took several gulps down.

"Uhhhhh… hey…"

She choked slightly from the sudden voice behind her. She coughed a few times to clear her throat before wiping her mouth dry, turning to someone she didn't expect. "Midoriya?"

The boy in question was standing there with his eyes locked on the ground, his face deep red and sweating profusely. It was the same look he had on earlier during class that caught her off guard. "Uh, hey. What's up?" she asked him.

The shaking boy locked up as she spoke to him, his muscles locked in place and unable to move. _'Oh crap crap crap! How am I supposed to say this!? Do I just ask her about it!? I didn't know it was going to be this hard!'_

She stared at him for a few moments before looking around awkwardly, to her pleasure no one around to see the awkward moment. "So… you thirsty? I'm almost done and-

"I n-need to talk to you real fast!" he blurted out, "It's r-really important."

She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but for some reason her heart rate began to climb. The way he was staring at her… for some reason reminded her of Todoroki.

"A f-few months ago… were you in Hosu City?"

Crap.

Now Katara was the one sweating, for she knew exactly where he was going with this as he continued.

"I-It's just I saw that there w-was said to be a fight with Endeavor and an-nother person who had a water quirk." he paused as he started twiddling his thumbs. "Uh… I'm not saying it's you, of course because you would never do something like that! It's j-just that, that person had the s-same outfit you had yesterday. And-

"That was me."

Midoriya would have sworn his heart just stopped beating when Katara suddenly answered him. His skin shivered as she stepped towards him, his mind running a million miles an hour thinking what was to come.

' _Oh crap, maybe I shouldn't have said anything! Maybe she wanted this a secret and I made her mad and-_

He winced as her hand reached towards him… then lightly fell on his shoulder.

"When I came to Japan I was… a little confused about the city. I had a misunderstanding and accidentally ruined a car. Endeavor thought I was a villain and we had a…" she chose her words carefully, making sure to keep her fib intact, "… I panicked and maybe didn't listen to him when I should have. But it's cleared up now so don't worry."

She stared at him in concern as he didn't even seem to breathe, worried that he was really analyzing what she said and possibly didn't believe her.

…

…

…

"Ah that makes me feel better!" Midoriya sighed out loud, chuckling as he scratched his head. "I mean I was worried that you may have been a secret villain but if you were a villain there is no way you could get in UA since this is the best school in Japan they would never allow that in the first place and Endeavor would not have let you go so easily if you fought his 99% success rate is second only to All Might and no first year student could ever escape him in a real fight you really surprised me there and I was worried that you didn't want to answer this that's why I asked you alone so you felt-

Holy crap this kid can talk.

"Okay Okay!" she huffed and cut him off. "No, I'm not a villain. It was just a misunderstanding. Iida's brother got it cleared up and they-

"His brother?" Midoriya questioned, "Why would his brother be involved in this?"

"Well his brother is Ingenium and-

"HIS BROTHER'S INGENIUM!? He's a pro that has sixty five sidekicks at his agency!"

She shook her head at his nerdiness and sighed. "Yes, but please, just keep this between us, okay? I'd rather not cause more trouble than I already did back then."

Midoriya sat quiet for a few moments, unsure what to say. He wasn't planning on keeping this a secret, but he thought of his slip up the night before with Bakugo and remembered the scolding All Might gave him. So he decided one more secret wouldn't hurt anything.

"Okay. I can keep this between us." he said.

She nodded a thanks to him before she raised an eyebrow. "Wait… where did you say you saw me?"

Before he could answer, a loud siren rang through the school halls shocking both of them.

"Hey, what's going on!?" she yelled out in shock.

"I don't know! I'm new here too!" he answered back.

They noticed groups of other students running through the nearby hallway and decided to run over and see what was happening. "Hey, what's the alarm for?" She yelled to several older students as they passed.

"It's the school security system. Someone has gotten through into the school!"

"What!?" Midoriyas eyes widened as he realized that was going on. "W-we have to get to the rest of the class!"

"Right, come on!" She waved him forward and ran after the other students. The two of them reached a now crowded hallway swarmed with panicking teens pushing their way in the pack. In the mass of people she caught sight of Iida yelling from the side of the wall by the window. She couldn't make out what he was saying however to the yells from the other kids. She weaved her way through the shoving mob to get closer to him. "Iida! What's happening?"

"Katara, we have to calm the students somehow!" He grunted as he was pushed back against the glass. "Its the media! They are inside. There is no villain attack!"

"Really? Well then-Ow, hey!" She yelped as her foot was stepped on by others trying to get ahead. She pushed back against the boy to give her space, but it only lasted a moment before she was pushed back again. "We have to tell them somehow!"

"They are not listening! There panic is making them act erratic!" he yelled before his face was pressed up to the window.

Glaring around to the panicked kids, she needed to somehow get the crowd to shut up for one moment so either she or Tenya could get their voices heard. She felt a splash of water hit her neck, bringing an annoyed glare from her as other kids drinks were being pushed around and-

"Wait, that's it!" her mind clicked and she bended the water off her dampened neck, turning around and her eyes catching several other students carrying bottles of water. Seeing her chance, she waved her hand upward, bending out multiple streams towards her to those students surprise. Once she had a decent sized ball floating above her, she looked up to the roof and shot a thin stream from her hand and latched on above lifting her over the crowd. With a squeeze of her fist and a thrust of her free hand, the ball of water burst outwards into thousands of droplets falling down onto the students.

"Hey, what the hell!" one of the kids complained from the sudden dampness on his head.

"Aw, my hair!" another girl whined.

While some were moaning about suddenly getting wet, they all stopped their shoving and looked back to the source, shocked to see a blue eyed girl hanging by more water above them.

"Everyone, quit panicking!" Katara yelled out to them all, "There isn't an attack. It's just some reporters outside that got in, so quit shoving and calm down for a second!"

A wave of sighs and laughs came over the other students as they realized they all overreacted. Seeing they all finally calmed down, Katara lowered herself and undid the water from the ceiling. "Well that all happened…" She groaned to herself and formed the water into a ball once more. She then felt the tap on her shoulder and turned to see an annoyed student holding an empty water bottle up.

"Hey, you owe me a new water!" he sneered and shook the empty plastic in front of her.

"Oh, sorry about that…" She chuckled and floated the water towards him. "...Here, I can put this back for you and-

"Uhh you mean the water that was all over your hand? You can buy me a new one!"

She sat there in silence as seven other students walked over holding up their now empty bottles, her shoulders slumping in annoyance. "Great…"

* * *

Once the media was finally kicked off campus, several teachers and the principle stood inside the campus entrance in disbelief to what had happened. There eyes all stared forward to where the steel doors once guarded the campus, the solid barrier now nothing more than a pile of crumbled rubble.

"So I can say the news teams were not the ones who bypassed the campus security." Midnight sarcastically answered.

"Indeed. It seems that someone else was behind this…" Principle Nezu quietly responded in front. "...Some villain actually managed to infiltrate our school."

The space hero Thirteen grunted in frustration to the event. "These doors are designed to take an eighteen wheeler at full speed, and yet they were destroyed so easily. The internal security systems haven't detected anything else, however."

The small principle exhaled as he stepped towards the disintegrated doors. "Perhaps. But I am concerned if this was simply an act of power… or a declaration of war."

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty fast for Katara, for her mind was stuck on something else much more important. She however couldn't talk about it until she was back home.

"Home…" She sighed to herself realizing what she called Tensei's place. It had been close to a year since she had ever stayed in a place for more than a few weeks at a time. While she still always thought of her own world all the time, after months living here and being with people like Tensei and Tenya… she was almost starting to feel part of this place. Not only that, but she was now making new friends that were fun and beginning to fill the void she had been missing inside herself for so long.

She actually was beginning to feel… Happy again.

But her happiness was being hidden by a lie she was putting up. A fake story about herself and where she came from. And now there were ones like Yaoyorozu and even Tenya seeing the holes in her story. Even worse, Todoroki and Midoriya now knew of her incident back during the first night she arrived.

"How did he know about that?" she asked herself, pulling her phone out and opening it up. She had gotten Midoriya's number before she left school (the poor boy nearly having a heart attack getting a girls number) and opened up her messages. She got to Midoriya's name and clicked it, typing out her message real fast.

**Hey, it's Katara. I wanted to say thanks for keeping that thing between us. I was curious though, how did you see me there in the city? Were you there that night?**

She sent it and sat down on the couch in the living room, only for it to buzz moments later.

"That was fast." she said and opened it up, her eyes widening when she saw what he said.

**No problem. There was a news article that had a picture of you.**

"Oh crap…" she shakily said as her breaths came in deep. There were pictures of that night!?

Her phone buzzed again and she looked down to see an image sent to her. She clicked it and opened it wider, her hands freezing when she saw a blurry image of her and Endeavor on the street.

"Great… just great." she rubbed her head as her worry began to grow. She couldn't even respond before he kept messaging her.

**That was an article months ago.**

Bzzzz.

**Don't worry, they deleted it.**

Bzzzz.

 **I just saved this myself**.

Bzzzz.

**I wasn't stalking or anything!**

Bzzz.

**Sorry I'm texting so much!**

His erratic personality did bring a chuckle out of her, but she was still worried about the fact about this encounter. If he saved this news article, that means others could have as well.

Her secret may be harder to keep soon.

* * *

In the city of Kamino, a run down karaoke bar sat seemingly vacant from the outside. The crumbling structure not lit to the darkened street. Inside however, a single room was lit, filled with three different occupants. The scrawny man leaning over the bar counter twirled a cup of whiskey in his palm, careful not to touch all five fingers at one. His cold red eyes peered through the severed hand clasped onto his face, and a quiet chuckle coming from his throat.

"So, it looks like the information we gained today was quite useful. We know exactly where he will be tomorrow." his raspy voice said to himself.

"Agreed, but infiltrating the school before we attack may cause them to increase security." the dark mist headed man responded from behind the counter.

"No need to worry, Kurogiri. Those stupid heroes are too proud to try and change what they do. Especially since they have All Might to protect them." Tomura snapped back before reaching up and scratching his neck. "Even if they try something different, we will still get the job done."

His eye peeked around to the massive black skinned beast crouched in the corner of the room, its beady eyes staring blankly to the wall underneath the exposed brain and above the tooth filled beak mouth. Tomura Shigaraki giggled to himself in anticipation for his plan.

"With him… no teacher there will stand in our way. Tomorrow, We will finally kill that symbol of Peace. We will kill All Might."


	15. The USJ

The next day at UA the slight tension could be felt in the air on campus. With the security breach yesterday many students were a little on edge about the effect it would have on their schedules and what the teachers would do next. But for class 1-A that wasn't going to be an issue. For to their surprise and excitement, they had rescue training today.

"Rescue training? Whats that?" Kaminari questioned out loud.

"Today you'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks and other things in that sense." Aizawa answered. "There will be myself, All Might and one other faculty member judging your performances today."

"Woah really? That's so exciting!" Mina cheered from her seat.

"Finally, some real hero stuff!" Kirishima clenched his fist in glee. "I'm shaking with excitement!"

Katara listened to the others chatter in anticipation to what was coming, feeling some of that herself. "So this is actually doing things that don't involve fighting today?" She questioned out loud.

Uraraka shook her head hearing that. "No, but this is still so fun! I can't wait!"

Looking back forward, Katara watched as the costume boxes came out from the side of the classroom once again while their teacher continued his speech.

"Just remember, most of you are not used to your costumes yet. Use today as practice in getting feel of their limits and how they apply with your quirks." He said while grabbing his papers off his desk. "We will be taking a bus to a nearby facility to conduct today's lessons. Now get ready and be outside in ten minutes."

Standing up with the others, Katara walked forward to grab her box as she nudged Tenya, "So, looks like we are doing some more things so you can show off your stuff." She teased.

"Hmm, as someone in the hero course, showing off is very disgraceful…" Iida adjusted his glasses and stood tall, "… but I am dedicated to doing the best I can to show the teachers and others what I am capable of!"

"Isn't that the same thing as showing off?" She joked at him, "Showing off doesn't always mean a bad thing."

Tenya was about to say something else before he sat quiet and smiled. "I shall admit you may be right on that point."

She laughed at his way of over analyzing things. She walked up to her briefcase and grabbed it before turning to follow the other girls to the locker rooms. Before she did however, Todoroki walked in front of her and grabbed his hero case.

"Putting on your classic outfit again?" he quietly whispered to her with a cold glare.

She swallowed the small lump in her throat as she glanced around the class real quick to make sure no one else heard what he said. She then locked eyes with Midoriya staring at the two of them awkwardly. Todoroki noticed the tensing in her body and looked over to the green haired boy, too. He let out an annoyed sigh when he realized what was going on. "So it seems I am not the only one who knows."

She didn't answer as he walked away from her, the dual haired teen heading off with the others. "It seems your secret is slowly falling apart."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Katara breathed slowly as she was beginning to feel the walls closing in on her. She glanced over to Midoriya standing next to her, his face red and twiddling his thumbs in silence. She just shook her head.

"Not a word, please." she whispered to him, receiving a rapid nod from the freckled boy.

"M-my lips are sealed. Promise!" he quickly answered.

Unknowing to the kids in the class still, Aizawa was around the corner just outside the door finishing up an email and sending it out. He glanced over his shoulder to the tan girl inside his room and grunted.

"I'm not entirely certain what is going on, but I will get to the bottom of this."

* * *

walking through the front doors of his agency, Tensei sipped his coffee and nodded to the few of his assistants that her in before him.

"Good morning everyone." He happily said to the two girls behind the front desk.

"Oh, good morning Ingenium sir!" the one on the right smiled up to her boss. "Enjoying your morning?"

"Yes I am, thank you. Any new messages for me?"

"Not yet sir, we haven't-

the young lady stopped when her monitor suddenly alerted her. "Oh, actually you just received one, sir."

Tensei raised his eyebrow curiously. "Really? Is it from detective Tsukauchi again?"

"No sir, this is actually from UA High."

He froze mid sip when he heard that. He remembered hearing from Tenya when he got home last night there was a security breach at the school. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Uh, I'm not sure, sir. This isn't from the principle, but their homeroom teacher. I haven't opened it yet."

Nodding, Tensei marched through the lobby towards his office. "Forward it to my computer. Thank you." he shut the door behind him and sat at his desk. He pressed the screen on and immediately was met with a new message. "This is from… Erasure head?"

He sat for a minute in surprise when he remembered working with him on that case several years back dealing with the quirk enhancement drug Trigger. He had no idea that he was their homeroom teacher. "Why would he be messaging me?" he questioned before opening the email.

_**Ingenium,** _

_**I am sending this in regards to Kairi Katara. In the days I have been her teacher, there are several things that have come up that have caught my attention. Instead of asking questions over the computer, I request that you come to this campus tonight so we can discuss this in person.** _

_**Shouta Aizawa** _

The email felt like a weight just dropped onto Tensei's shoulders, the hero slumping down and putting his head on the desk. "Shit… maybe this school idea wasn't so good after all."

* * *

After she had gotten changed, Katara made her way out with the others and onto the bus taking them to their destination. Sitting down next to Midoriya, she noticed how he was in his school gym clothes instead of the green costume he had on before. "Hey, why didn't you change into your outfit? Don't you want to train in it?"

"Oh, w-well my costume got pretty burnt up in my match the other day…" Izuku blushed and rubbed his head. "… They have to repair it for now."

Iida nodded from across the isle to the answer. "It was pretty bad from what I could tell. You should consider a stronger material for your costume next time."

"Uhh, I don't know. Hehe…" Midoriya awkwardly chuckled as he sweated more. "W-with me not controlling my power yet, I'd rather have a weaker costume so it doesn't get in my way."

From the other side of Midoriya, Tsu chimed in suddenly. "Since we are talking about this I have something I want to say. Ribbit." She looked to the boy next to her. "About you, Midoriya. Isn't your power a lot like All Might's?"

Midoriya's face turned a deep red the moment he heard those words. "WH-WHAT!? D-don't be ridiculous, A-Asui!" He sweated more at the look she gave him suddenly. "Er I-I mean Tsu!"

Katara raised her eyebrow to what Tsu suddenly said. "Wait, what do you mean? How is his power like All Might?"

"Well when he punches it makes large shock waves just like All Might does." Tsu pointed out. "It is kinda interesting. Ribbit."

Looking back to Midoriya, Katara began thinking back to the quirk test and watching his match the other day. The moves he used did seem similar to the times she saw All Might's attacks on television. She didn't know what kind of quirk he had, so she didn't know how to compare it to…

' _Wait, what was All Might's quirk?'_ She suddenly thought to herself. That was something no one knew. Before she could think anymore, Kirishima suddenly interjected.

"Nah they aren't similar, Tsu. All Might doesn't hurt himself like Midoriya does so that makes a big difference."

As the others looked over to the red head, Midoriya silently sighed in relief the conversation got changed off of him.

"I mean I just have this hardening quirk, so it's not really that all great for a hero look." Kirishima sighed as he hardened his arm in front of everyone. Midoriya looked in awe at the act however.

"I think it's a really cool power, Kirishima." Izuku said, earning a nod from Katara.

"Yeah, you were amazing in our match. You should be happy to have a great power like that."

The compliments earned a smile on the red head. "Thanks, but you are the one that has an awesome pro quirk, Katara, just like Bakugo and Todoroki's."

Hearing his name, Bakugo simply scoffed and looked out the window. Katara rolled her eyes at his attitude. "You know a thank you may actually feel good now and then to say."

"Tsk… whatever, I don't need any sympathy, hair loops." Bakugo grunted out.

Katara didn't need to respond as Tsu croaked in. "Sure he is tough, but Bakugo's bad attitude won't make him popular."

Bakugo growled and stood up in his seat. "Watch what you say, frogger! I'll kick your ass!"

"See what I mean?"

"Dude, your personality is like screaming and shit mixed in one." Kaminari chuckled from his seat, smiling at the glare he received from his target.

"Shut up Sparky! I'll kill you too!" Bakugo yelled in frustration. Katara just shook her head in amazement to the angry teen,

"Wow, you really are that stuck up yourself, aren't you?" She grunted as he continued glaring at them all.

"Just shut your mouth hair loops! I'll kill every single one of you bastards!"

Ignoring his now empty threats, Katara huffed out and sat back in her seat. A few moments later, Aizawa turned back to the class.

"All of you shut up now. We have arrived." he groaned as the bus came to a stop. The students all walked off after their teacher to what appeared as an enormous domed structure that towered high above the street.

Katara stared in amazement at the sheer size of the building. "Wow, they had all those areas for the testing and this building? How much money does this school have?"

"They always go beyond for us students here, that is why they are the top school in Japan." Tenya answered as they all walked towards the main entrance. They suddenly stopped when a space suit wearing person greeted them at the door.

"Greetings students, I have been waiting for you all to come!" the hero Thirteen happily announced to them all. Most were excited of course, while Midoriya was practically shivering in glee at seeing another pro in person. Thirteen turned and signaled them all to follow. "Come on, I cannot wait to show you what we have for you inside."

Going through the massive steel doors leading inside, the 1-A class was left speechless to the sprawling interior that seemed twice as big than the outside. The central plaza's fountain was the focal point to the entire facility. Multiple domes were set up between different other zones ranging from mountains and other small ruined city buildings all surrounding a large lake with a ship in the center. It was even more than they ever imagined.

"Wow, look at all of this. It's like there is a dozen places to train. So cool!" Mineta jumped up and down in excitement.

"Now this is something!" Sero added as well.

As the students all chatted about what was to come, Thirteen leaned over to Aizawa. "So I received a call from All Might. Apparently he won't be coming at the moment."

Aizawa sighed to the news. "You mean to tell me he will be late?"

"Yes, he says he will try to join during the end of class."

"You think it will be okay with just the two of us?" Aizawa grunted and turned back to the class. "Alright, time is money. Let's not waste anymore of it."

Nodding, Thirteen turned back to the students. "Now, you have all come to the Unforseen Simulation Joint, which we call USJ. Here you will get the chance to test yourselves in different situations that can happen at any given day. Fire, storms, mudslides, and flooding. This is where we will see what you do in a disaster situation."

Many of the students began chattering in excitement before Thirteen held her hand up to silence them. "Don't get ahead of yourselves now. When using your quirks in battle, that is a big difference than in a rescue situation. Take my quirk Black Hole for example. It is extremely powerful and can absorb anything, but I must be careful for it can harm civilians just as fast as helping. That is where training today comes in for you. You will learn to use your powers for aiding and rescue."

Katara looked passed the pro to the large lake in the center, feeling a small wave of excitement in her chest a hearing they were going to be tested in areas like this. _'Finally, it looks like_ _I get to use a lot of water for once here. This will be exciting.'_ Her eyes then noticed the large spotlights above begin sputtering on and off.

"Hey, I think someone is messing with the… lights." her voice stuttered when she noticed the strange swirling cloud of smoke in front of the fountain. "What is that?"

Aizawa felt a cold chill run up his neck at the same time, spinning around to see the expanding wall of shadow. "What the hell is this?" he cautiously stated, only for his answer to come moments later. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

Through the center of the cloud, a hand gripped the edge and pulled the host through, his body and face covered with multiple severed hands clutched onto him. He walked through the portal and was immediately followed by several more people. Then, several dozen more began making their way out as well, many of them wielding weapons too.

"What the… I thought we were saving people?" Kirishima questioned out loud, thinking this was part of the training still. "Why are we having to fight and-

"Stay back!"

The students were caught off guard by the sharp tone in their teachers voice, but Midoriya began sweating when he saw Aizawa slipped his goggles onto his face. "Wait, sensei… you only use those when you are serious. Does that mean…"

Adjusting his goggles, Aizawa walked forward between his class and the intruders. "Those are villains."

Katara's eyes widened at hearing that. "Wait, you mean this is real?" she looked back down to the group below as a massive creature suddenly came through the portal as well. She thought it was a type of animal, but the way it moved and wore clothes meant it was some kind of strange quirk someone had. Either way, it made her skin crawl for some reason.

Aizawa glared down at the group still coming inside. "So these people were the ones responsible for yesterday. They used the media as cover to sneak inside."

"Aizawa, something's wrong. I can't get communication to the school all of the sudden." Thirteen yelled out.

"What?" Aizawa questioned, "They must have someone's quirk jamming the signals in and out of here. Damn it."

From the area down below, the large smoke cloud shifted and revealed the yellow eyes of the host. "The information we gathered said All Might was supposed to be here, and yet he isn't."

Shigaraki sighed in annoyance and scratched his neck. "Oh such a shame, Kurogiri. We spend all this trouble gathering these people to join us. Now All Might isn't here to join us." he stopped his itch and looked up to the crowd standing up the steps. "Well, perhaps some of the kids want to come out and play."

Seeing the group staring up towards them, Katara popped her canteen open and prepared to get some water out before her teacher raised his hand in front of her.

"Don't even think about trying anything, Katara." He snapped at her.

She looked up to him in confusion. "What? If they are going to attack us then we-

"Then you need to go and get out of here. I won't let my students get hurt trying to fight real villains." he retorted back. "Go and get out of here. I'll go and stop them."

She glared back at him. "You want to fight them alone? We can help you."

"You are the class rep, that means you are responsible for the safety of the others."

She was about to make another comeback, but she looked back to the others and saw some of them had real fear in their eyes. She almost forgot that many of them had never been in the face of real danger like she had faced in her life. To jump into a real fight wasn't something many of them were ready for yet. While she didn't want to, she looked back to him and nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Nodding back, Aizawa grabbed the cloth around his neck and walked towards the steps. "Thirteen, I leave them to you."

Leaping off the top, the class teacher raced through the air towards the trio of villains standing below the steps. Katara watched as the three seemingly smirked at him coming alone, but were completely caught off guard as their quirks deactivated before being wrapped up the next moment. Katara's mouth dropped in shock as the three villains were spun through the air above and slammed into each other just above Aizawa.

"I didn't know he was that strong…" Katara said to herself as she watched him casually whipped another person through the air with his binding cloths. She knew his power was erasing quirks-

"Katara, come on lets go!"

Hearing her name snapped out of her trance, looking back and seeing the others already running and Iida standing there waiting for her. "Oh, r-right. Coming!" She quickly ran up to his side and both of them ran towards the exit.

"What were you thinking right there!?" Tenya yelled at her. "Were you actually thinking on fighting those villains just now?"

she glared at him as they ran into the center of the group. "What, you expect me to just sit and be attacked?"

He shook his head at her answer. "You haven't changed since that day, have you?"

She remembered her incident with the robbers and the child, shaking her head. "Maybe not, but that is who I am."

Smirking at her attitude, Tenya continued forward before all of the others were stopped by the warping villain appearing in front of them. "Oh no… he's blocked the entrance!"

"All of you, get behind me!" Thirteen yelled as the villain formed in front of them all.

Kurogiri's eyes narrowed down to the frightened students before him. "We are the league of villains. Getting into this school was no trouble for us, your pathetic security made this simple for me."

Thirteen walked forward and opened her finger cap readying her quirk. "You came here for the students, didn't you?"

Kurogiri chuckled and opened his form wider. "The children here are mere appetizers for the main course. Isn't this a fitting place for All Might to take his last breath?"

"All Might?" Some of the students said in shock, amazed villains were trying to actually go for the number one hero. Katara moved her way through a few of the students to try and get towards Thirteen, but suddenly felt a gust rush by her as Bakugo and Kirishima leap forward to attack.

"Wait, stop!" Thirteen tried calling out, her words on deaf ears as Bakugo's blast engulfed the front plaza.

"Ha, you think we are gonna sit still as you try your shit?" Bakugo grinned as he braced himself for another attack. His smile faltered though when the smoke cleared and the dark mist remained.

"That was a close one…" Kurogiri hissed at the two teens before him, his mist shifting around his body, "… But you should be careful children, otherwise someone will get hurt."

"You two, get behind me!" Thirteen cried out, but before they could react the miasma raced out engulfing most of the area, the mist swirling through the students.

"I'll scatter you across this facility, to meet my comrades… AND YOUR DEATHS!"

Katara gasped as the strange mist raced through the air enveloping her entire body. Panic began running through her mind as she felt herself seemingly falling through the ground. "What is this!? What's going on!?"

Tenya saw her situation and tried sprinting towards her. "Katara, take my hand!"

She flipped around at his voice, reaching her hand to him. "Iida!"

He ran with his hand outstretched to his friend as the darkness engulfed her. Tenya swung his hand inside trying to grab her… but his heart sank when he felt nothing inside.

"Katara!"

* * *

Falling through darkness, Katara's eyes were clenched shut in fear of what was coming. She braced her body as she felt the mist dissipating around her before it vanished. She fell to her hands and knees onto a cold, wet street to her surprise. She looked up and was met with rain coming down onto her face beneath dark storm clouds.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, looking around to what appeared to be a small city block. She heard groaning behind her and turned to see a familiar bird head. "Tokoyami?"

Shaking his head, Tokoyami stood up and straightened his cloak. "I'm alright, what about you?"

"I'm fine. Where are we, though? What happened?" She questioned him as they looked around.

"This must be the squall zone of USJ. It simulates a hurricane scenario." he answered. "That villain must have had some kind of warping quirk and separated us inside."

Katara shielded her eyes from some of the wind as she looked up to the dark roof above the fake rain hitting her face. She almost questioned how they made this place work if her concern for everyone else wasn't plaguing her mind. "If he did this to us, he must have done it to- look out!"

She jumped and pushed him out of the way as a knife hit the street with a loud crack. She flipped her head around eyeing three villains landing on the ground to their left. "Looks like we aren't alone here." Katara grunted standing back up and opening her canteen. She then heard footsteps and turned around as five more approached as well.

"No, it appears we are not." Tokoyami said as he stood back to back with his classmate. "They had people waiting for us."

"Well lets get through this and find the others."

"Ha, these little brats must be shitting themselves now…" a shark headed man grinned and clenched a steel bat in his hands. "Let's kill them and get our money no-

His words were silenced as a stream of water engulfed his face and slammed him into the building behind him. The other men's jaws dropped as they followed the water back to Katara's arm.

"Not in the mood for hearing you talk." She mumbled and brought the water back over her forearm. One of the other men snarled and ran forward.

"You little bitch, you're gonna die now!"

The mans eyes watched the water on the girls forearm to come at him, but screamed out as a shadowy clawed hand slammed into his chest and crushed him into the ground. The rest of the men once again were in disbelief as they eyed the dark mass sticking out of the bird teens chest.

"D-don't just stand there, let's kill them!" another villain yelled and ran forward, followed by the others all charging in together.

Bracing herself, Katara separated the stream to both hands and whipped outward snatching two men and tossing them across the street. Another tried leaping in the air to strike down on her head, but she simply stepped back and raised her left arm up and blocked herself with an ice shield. "What the? How did-

The shocked villain yelped out as the ice melted instantly and engulfed his arms. Spinning him in the air, Katara slammed him into another incoming man and prepared to whip another grunt before dark shadows hand snatched his leg and through him into the sky.

"Nice save." She chuckled and looked back to Tokoyami.

"Not that you really needed it." he grinned and looked passed her, sighing. "We have more incoming."

Katara turned around and saw more than a dozen people sprinting on the street towards them. Grunting, she gathered her water back and also bended up a large puddle off the street, her water now covering both her arms. "Alright, I can take the ones on the right and you on the left."

"Sounds good. Let's go." Tokoyami walked forward and opened his cloak. "Dark shadow, go!"

The shadowy mass extended out of his chest and launched towards the incoming villains. As Katara prepared her water, she couldn't help but notice the size of the dark bird. _'Did that thing get… bigger?'_

Shaking her head, Katara swung her arms over her head and spun around. The water extended out and slammed into three more men like a thick tree trunk knocking them out instantly. A woman with swords instead of hands came through the group and tried attacking her.

"Let's carve that face up nice and pretty!" the woman hissed in joy and slashed forward.

"No thanks!" Katara froze the water on her right arm and swung it up blocking the blade. The crazed woman continued swinging her sword arms over and over again, but the young waterbender casually blocked them with little difficulty. Even as another man changed his hands into what looked like cat claws, his scratching attempts only caught air as he swung with little technique. Katara swiped her hand forward and pointed two fingers upward, forcing the water on the ground to lock both of their feet in place on the street.

"What!? Little brat!" the woman yelled out in frustration as she couldn't move anymore.

Katara sighed and stepped back and wiped some of the rain off her face. She squeezed her hands forming two frozen spheres and launched them into the stomachs of two more incoming men. They gasped out for air and dropped to their knees in pain. They didn't have time to get their breath back before two thick water streams grabbed their chests and slammed them into each other, knocking them out and letting them slump down on the road. Bringing the water back, Katara raised her eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought these were going to be villains. But… they don't even seem to know how to fight." she rubbed her head in a strange feeling of… disappointment?

"These are just street punks."

She turned over to see Tokoyami standing in the center of the unconscious group of villains he was dealing with, his quirk seemingly standing ten feet above him. She eyed the size of it curiously as she approached him, refilling her canteen and keeping a reserve on her arm for later. "Looks like you had no trouble with your group. We should try and get going to the… others?" her words slowed as dark shadow turned its head towards her, its normal yellow eyes carrying a red tint.

"Tokoyami why are his-

Tokoyami flipped around and swung his arm out. "Katara, get back!"

His words came too late as dark shadow swung its claws down towards her. Katara's eyes widened in shock and leaped away just as the hand slammed into the street. She crawled up and brought her water out in front of her. "What are you doing, Tokoyami!?" she screamed at him.

"I'm sorry, it isn't me!" he pleaded as his shadow growled out, its darkened eyes locked onto the waterbender. "Dark shadow, stop!"

Katara stood up and formed several ice spikes around her as dark shadow came closer, its darkened eyes glaring down towards her. She readied herself as the large beast hissed. "V-Villain… _you are_ _ **villain?**_ "

"DARK SHADOW, I SAID STOP!"

Dark shadow's eyes flashed back to yellow at his hosts call, looking down to the girl beneath itself ready to fight. It's head turned back and hunkered to the glare of Tokoyami, shrinking in shame and slithering back into Tokoyami's body. Katara stared in silence while the rain poured down her face. She let the ice fall to the ground and stomped forward. "What the hell was that for!? Your shadow tried to hit me and-

"I am sorry Katara. I hope you are not hurt." Tokoyami whispered in pain.

She was still on edge to what happened, but she could see the look in his eyes and could tell he was ashamed to what just occurred. She slowly approached him and stopped a few feet away. "I-I'm fine. What was that, though?"

He turned away and stared at the ground glaring, water dripping down his beak onto the stone below. "I was afraid this may happen inside here. It's dark shadow."

"What?" she tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"My quirk's strength depends on the light. When its day, dark shadow is smaller but easy to manipulate. When it is darker, it's offensive power rises, but at the price of control…" he clutched his chest and inhaled deeply. "… Dark shadow begins to become more aggressive. The darker it is, the more powerful it becomes."

Katara looked up above them and stared to the gray ceiling covering their zone. She had almost forgotten they were inside of a building for a moment, somewhat feeling like they were outside during a stormy day. "The darkness inside here is making it stronger." She said.

He gave a small nod. "The longer I keep him out, the less control I keep over him. I can only use it for quick bursts before I force dark shadow back inside. That's the only way I can make sure it's safe using it in here." Tokoyami gave a bow towards his friend. "I am truly sorry. I hope you can forgive me for what my quirk did to you."

"I'm okay, don't worry." Katara reached and patted his shoulder. "Sometimes your powers can hurt others. I know what it's like to be worried about what your power can do."

Tokoyami chuckled at her words. "Freezing others can be dangerous."

Her smile faded as she wasn't talking about ice at that moment, thinking back to what she can do during a full moon. "Y-yeah. I have to be careful when I- knife!"

She pushed Tokoyami out of the way and threw her hand forward, launching several ice spikes into the legs of two incoming thugs. They yelped out in pain and dropped their weapons as they grasped at the bleeding wounds in their legs. Katara looked up and saw another group of ten villains gathered around them once again. "More of these guys?" she grunted out.

"It seems we won't be leaving anytime soon." Tokoyami sighed and readied himself, only for Katara to raise her hand in front of him.

"No, I'm done dealing with them." she hissed out and walked forward much to his surprise.

"Then let me help you, if we work together we will finish-

"Don't worry about using dark shadow in here anymore…" she paused and clasped her hands together, "… I'm ending this now."

The thrust her hands outward and halted every raindrop within a thirty foot radius in its place. All of the crooks mouths hung in disbelief as they stared in shock to the hovering droplets floating all around them, "Wh-what the hell did she just do!?" one of the goons shakingly screamed.

"I thought these were just kids!?" another yelled out in fear.

Even Tokoyami sat in amazement to the rain dancing midair in front of his face. He looked up above and watched as the gathering water overhead began forming a liquid dome surrounding both them and the criminals. "Katara, how are you..."

In the blink of an eye, the water rushed in towards the two students and created a solid sphere of water around the two of them. The swirling mass became so thick it was impossible to see through before it burst out and smashed all the criminals into the buildings. They had no chance to even react before the water froze instantly pinning them against the stone. Standing tall in the street, Katara's hands came to her front before lowering to her front and taking a deep breath. She raised her hand and brushed the loose hair out of her face and sighed.

"Let's go."

As she ran down the street, Tokoyami sat in amazement as the rain beat down on his head. "That move she just preformed… that was remarkable." he said to himself. What he just witnessed was something truly spectacular, making him chuckle as he ran after her.

"So Katara, if this is what you can do with more water… that means you were holding back against me in our match the other day. I guess it wouldn't have been so close if we were somewhere else."

* * *

Several minutes later, the doors to the Squall zone burst open from the thrust of water hitting from the inside. Katara came running through the door first with water draped over her shoulders and Tokoyami right behind her. They squinted for a few moments adjusting to the bright sunlight pouring through the windows before they opened up again.

"Made it." Katara sighed happily being outside of that place.

"Agreed. We should try and find the others fast." Tokoyami said. "If the others dealt with criminals like that then they shouldn't have much difficulty."

Katara did feel worried about Tenya and everyone else, but she nodded in agreement. "They weren't really that strong. How did these guys think they were going to get All Might with them?"

Tokoyami tilted his head as he thought of that. "You're right. It is strange they claim to want to kill him if these men were that easy to defeat."

"Yeah…" Katara looked back forward and saw they were very close to the central plaza. "We should go back. Maybe everyone else is heading there too." She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, turning and expecting Tokoyami there. Her heart jumped slightly when she saw the shadowy hand sitting there. "Uhh…"

Dark shadow was in it's smaller form awkwardly tapping its claws together. _"My bad earlier. No hard feelings?"_

Hearing the shadows apology, Katara huffed and patted its head. "It's okay. No hard feelings."

The shadow bird blushed and cooed lightly before retracting back into it's host. Katara raised her eyebrow and smirked, causing Tokoyami to roll his eyes. "He gets like that sometimes."

"Aww that's adorable. Maybe he takes after his owner." she teased, laughing as his beak turned lightly red. They both ran towards the central plaza. They came around the corner and stopped as they heard more fighting going on. They peaked around the corner and saw Aizawa still battling the main group of villains. They were amazed that he alone had taken out nearly everyone else in the plaza except for a small handful left.

"Astonishing, as you would expect from a pro." Tokoyami said, earning a nod from Katara.

"He is really good. He's taking them out so easily." She added. Her eyes then noticed in the background several heads poking over the edge from the water, two of them a familiar green. "Hey, Midoriya and Tsu made it back too!"

"Really?" Tokoyami looked that direction and saw them. "You're right. It looks like Mineta is with them as well. So that is five of us already."

"Yeah, that is great then. If we are all already here, that means they didn't have much trouble either." She smiled to herself and looked back to their teacher running towards the fountain straight at the hand covered villain. "That must be their leader! If Aizawa Sensei takes him out then this is over."

The two of them watched as Aizawa brought his elbow forward and drilled the villain in the chest, smiling at thinking he delivered a good blow. Their faces changed however when they realized the grotesque looking man had caught Aizawa's strike with his own hand… and where he was touching the cloth and skin began cracking and falling off in chunks.

"What was… what is that?" Katara gasped as their sensei jumped back, his arm hanging limp to his side. It looked like the muscles and raw skin beneath were exposed now to the air. What did he just do to him?"

"I don't know. He just touched him." Tokoyami responded. "It must be some strange quirk he has."

"But what kind of…" Katara's eyes widened as in the blink on eye, the massive creature she had seen earlier suddenly appeared behind Aizawa. "SENSEI, LOOK OUT!"

Her call was too late however, as the beasts massive hand swung down onto their teacher, a spray of blood shooting across the ground and his broken goggles falling to the floor. Katara's mouth trembled as the horrid beast crouched down onto him and slammed its fist into his back several times before it gripped his right arm and twisted it.

Katara felt her skin crawl in horror to the hideous monster that was beating on her classes leader. The tooth filled beak opened and released an eerie screech in the air like a predator over its prey. And deep inside her chest, she felt something growing. A fire building inside that was focused directly on the thing that was causing it.

Anger.

Tokoyami's eyes widened as she rushed passed him and straight into the open. "Katara, no!"

She didn't listen to him, though. Her heart rate was through the roof but it wasn't of fear. Her glaring eyes honed in on the animal hunkered over Aizawa as the water at the end of her covered arms froze into thick spikes.

"Get off of him!" She screamed in anger as ran into the main plaza. "Let him go!"

Turning to the voice, Shigaraki's eye peeked through the fingers covering his face and chuckled. "Oh, does a little brat wish to come play?"

Wincing through his pain, Aizawa struggled to look up from his spot, but he still caught sight of the girl running his way. "K-Katara, get back now!"

She didn't hear his plea. But even if she did, it wouldn't have mattered. All that mattered was there was there was someone who needed her help, and she was going to be there for them.

"I said, let him go!" Katara demanded one more time before she launched an ice spike directly for the monsters heart.

**Notes: Phew! more trouble in the future for our heroes. Part one of the USJ attack finished. took me a while to decide who to have her paired up with during the attack, and decided with everyone's favorite bird. Until next week!**


	16. The Nomu

Midoriya and the two beside him sat petrified to the sight of their teacher bleeding on the ground. The freckled boy shivered in the water not from the cold, but to seeing Aizawa taken down instantly by this monstrosity.

"Ai-zawa sensei…" Midoriya muttered in fear to the blood running out from the injured hero.

"He's bleeding so much… ribbit." Tsu quietly said as she peeked over the ledge they were hiding by. "Maybe we should go help him."

What are you crazy!?" Mineta whined out, "That freaky thing just took him down like nothing. What are we supposed to do!?"

While he was afraid, Midoriya knew she was right. If they didn't do something soon, there teacher was going to be dead soon. "Asui is right. Err.. I mean Tsu! We have to do something fast."

"Do what!? You're crazy Midoriya, lets wait for the teachers to help!" Mineta pleaded.

Before any of them realized it, a single girl ran across the plaza to their shock. "Katara!?" Midoriya shot out in disbelief.

"I said let him go!" Katara screamed in anger and launched a large ice spike towards the monsters heart. It's beady eyes looked up to the call, noticing the incoming attack and screeched out. Its free arm swung out and shattered the ice into a hundred pieces like it was nothing. Glaring, Katara stopped just before the beast and gathered all the water she had and covered her arms again. "Get off of him now!"

Wincing below his captor, Aizawa looked up in shock to the girl coming to his aid. "Katara, g-get out of here. Go and- AHH!"

Katara's eyes widened as she watched the creature snap Aizawa's arm with a sickening crack. "Stop it, leave him alone!"

Seeing her panic made Shigaraki snicker in enjoyment. "Does the little girl wish to be a hero now? How adorable. I brought this friend of mine here for All Might, but you can be another warm up for him…" he looked over to his beast and smiled underneath the hand on his face. "Nomu, take care of this one for me."

The Nomu's beady eyes locked on the girl before it, letting Aizawa's limp arm slip out of its grasp and walk forward. Katara gritted her teeth and took several steps back. She didn't know what this thing could do, but she could already sense it was not to be taken lightly like the goons she fought with Tokoyami. This was something else entirely.

Shigaraki pointed forward and laughed. "Now Nomu… kill her."

Katara brought her arms up in preparation, but then she was caught off guard by the blitz from the nomu. She barely had a second before jumping back as its large fist smashed into the stone where she was just standing moments earlier.

' _It's really fast!'_ She screamed internally and whipped her left arm forward and cracking the Nomu across the face. To her shock once again the monster didn't even blink to the hard hit, seemingly not affected by it at all. She whipped it several more times but it seemed to not faze it whatsoever. "What is this thing?"

The Nomu charged once again as Katara gathered all the water and shot forward a thick stream directly into its chest. Her eyes widened however as the creature was walking through the gushing water like it wasn't even there. She pulled her water back and rolled just before it swiped at her head, blowing out a stream of mist from her mouth and freezing the water over its body. The ice prison wasn't fully hardened however before the Nomu's muscles broke through it like it was simply tissue paper. It screeched out and ran forward with blinding speed that Katara barely had time to create an ice wall in front of her. She hoped that would give her a few seconds to get back.

And then it ran through it like it wasn't even there.

"N-no way…" she muttered in horror as its clawed hand reached directly for her face. Just then however she felt her body yanked back by her waist and whipped through the air away from the Nomu. She yelped while she floated back down to the ground twenty feet away, looking down to a familiar pink tongue.

"You alright?" Tsu asked as she hopped by Katara's side. The waterbender couldn't speak for a moment as her nerves were still rattled. She took a few breaths to calm herself before nodding.

"Y-yeah. Thank you, Tsu."

"Katara, you okay!?" Midoriya ran up to the two of them. "You shouldn't have done that! That thing almost killed you!"

"I had to do something to help Aizawa sensei…" She retorted, "… but I didn't know that thing was going to be that strong."

Midoriya looked back and swallowed at the sight of the Nomu. "I-it's not normal. It took hits from your water like they were nothing."

"We should get out of here and get help." Tsu said.

"But we can't leave Aizawa there!" Katara demanded and turned back to the nomu standing there.

Shigaraki grunted in annoyance to the additional students coming out of hiding. "You little pests, just like roaches coming out of the crevices. No matter, it just means more of this societies pride will be crushed today. What do you think, Aizawa?" He turned to laugh at the downed teachers expense. "How would you feel when-

His eyes went wide when he saw the injured teacher gone from his spot. "What!?" he turned and saw Erasurehead being pulled back by dark shadow towards the side building. "You little bastard!"

"Nice work, Tokoyami!" Katara cheered at seeing him act.

As soon as he was brought in, Tokoyami caught his teacher and laid him down. "Aizawa sensei, are you alright?"

Hissing out, Aizawa gave a small nod. "I'll be fine. A-All of you go. Get help."

"We can't leave you here. We will distract it and-

"Don't!" Aizawa's snap make Tokoyami lean back. "Th-that thing is too powerful."

Tokoyami glared back at his teacher to the request. "We cannot leave you here, sensei. We will all be leaving here."

Seeing another student there was now pissing Shigaraki off. He began scratching at his neck in annoyance. "Those stupid goons. They couldn't even handle a few little brats. What a waste of money gathering them here." he glared back to the trio standing towards the fountain. "I will make this day hell for you all. Kill them all, Nomu."

Hearing those words, Katara and the others felt their heart rates jump. "Get back, you two!" Katara yelled and bended out a massive stream of water from the fountain.

As the Nomu ran forward, Tsu jumped to the left as Katara hardened a block of ice beneath herself and Midoriya. The green haired teen yelped as he was lifted off the ground and was rushed to the right just as the Nomu smashed the edge of the step. The dark creature screeched and looked towards the hopping frog girl and leaped after her. Seeing she wasn't being pursued, Katara stopped and summoned two long water whips and ran forward again. "Tsu, look out!"

Looking behind her, Tsu croaked in fear as the Nomu closed in with blinding speed. She shot her tongue out and latched onto a nearby tree and pulled herself high in the air away from the beast. Before it could jump in pursuit, the Nomu felt its back whipped causing it to hiss in annoyance. It turned to see Katara confronting itself once again, its mind only processing one singular thought; the only thing it was capable of.

Destroy.

It stomped its way forward like a hunting hound towards the young waterbender. Glaring, she began swinging her arms forward and striking the Nomu across its chest and body. Over and over she swiped at the animal, but each time it seemed it didn't even seemed bothered.

"It's like this thing doesn't feel pain…" Katara grunted in frustration to her useless attacks. She then froze the tips on both of her whips and launched them forward. While the Nomu was able to smack the first one away, the second one hit true and pierced the creature in it's upper thigh. She grinned finally seeing something successfully work this time. "Finally a good hit."

She yanked the ice back out and brought the water back around her as she prepared to create more ice, but what she saw next froze her on the spot. "W-what…?"

In the bloody open wound on the Nomu's leg she could see the skin suddenly close over in just a few seconds. After the skin stopped shifting, she could clearly see the spot had completely healed over, the only evidence left being the blood stained hole in the pants.

"It can heal itself?" She quietly said to herself in disbelief, her eyes shooting open as the Nomu lashed out once again. She slashed her water up into its arm to divert its punch, but it seemed to barely slow it as it came closer to her and-

"Smash!"

An immense gust of wind blasted through the area and struck the Nomu it caused it's charge to be halted. Not even in the center of it and Katara herself was nearly blown over. She squinted through the wind and saw Midoriya's left ring finger broken from the flick he had just preformed.

"Katara, run!" Midoriya shouted over his pain, snapping her out of her shock.

Dark shadow swooped as well and began punching and scratching at the Nomu's face. It's beaked mouth screeched out and swiped towards the shadow bird, not from pain but simply as a hindrance. Seeing it distracted, she Katara threw water below her, she skated away as fast as she could to think of a new strategy, because a straight forward attack was not going to work on this monster. "We can't just run with Aizawa. This thing would catch us. We have to hold it somewhere."

"Take this you stupid villain!"

"what?" Katara and the others looked over to see Mineta screaming out and chucking his purple balls as fast as he could from behind the fountain. "What is he doing!?"

"Take that and that and that! Take my sticky balls!" the small teen yelled as he continuously ripped off his quirk and threw it out towards the Nomu. Not a single one hit its target however, simply covering the ground all behind the creature. Mineta paused as the Nomu turned around and looked right at him. "Oh shit…"

"Great, now we have to get him out too!" Katara grunted and swung her arms gathering the shattered ice on the ground up around her.

Midoriya ran up to her side clutching his broken fingers looking over to the fountain. "We have to get its attention back to us. Mineta can run as we hold it off and…" his eyes then noticed the purple balls littered across the floor. "… Or maybe get it towards him!"

"What!?" Katara turned to him in shock, "Why would you want it to-

"Get it to step on those balls Mineta threw. It will make him stuck then we can escape!" Midoriya quickly explained.

Katara raised her eyebrow at him. "That will work?"

"We used that to get out of our zone, then it will work here too!"

She wasn't too sure at first, Katara went with her gut and trusted him. "Alright, lets do it. Tokoyami, help push it back towards the fountain!"

"What? Why?" Tokoyami yelled out from his spot.

"Listen to her. Ribbit." Tsu hopped next to him and pointed to the ground behind the Nomu. "Get it to those things."

Looking over to the purple balls, Tokoyami sighed and nodded. "Okay. Dark shadow, lets push it back with them!"

"Uh, guys get over and help me!" Mineta screamed out hiding behind the fountain wall.

Katara walked forward with Midoriya on her right as well as Tokoyami and Tsu joining her on the right. "If the three of us can push it back and stick it, we can get out of here. Tsu, can you get Mineta out of there?"

Tsu nodded, "Leave it to me."

Nodding back, Katara covered her arms and upper torso in water as she stepped forward. "Let's do this together!"

The group of students charged forward as Katara launched a whip out and slashed across the Nomu's chest to try and push it back. Seeing it not work she whipped her other stream forward and striking it over and over again. The beast swiped its arms out hitting against the water as they came in. Katara gritted her teeth and continued her attacks. "Tsu, go!"

Hopping on command, Tsu leaped through the air and over to the left out of the way. The Nomu saw her and was about to attack, but dark shadow slid in from the ground and swiped up and hit the creature in the mouth keeping its focus back on them. Tokoyami summoned it back just as the beast went to grab it, hit in the chest by another stream of water.

"If we keep hitting it, it stays distracted!" Katara yelled as she formed several ice spikes and launched them forward. "Don't stop!"

Tsu landed on the ground just in front of Mineta, the small boy letting out tears of joy. "Oh Tsu, you are my hero!" He ran towards her with open arms, his hands somewhat aiming for her upper torso. "Take me to safety and-

"Touch me and I drown you. Ribbit." Tsu growled out and shot her tongue around his waist and threw him into the sky towards the stairs as he screamed out in terror.

"This is not what I had in mind!" Mineta cried just before he landed in the bushes.

Now that there was no one behind the Nomu, Midoriya knew what he had to do. "If I can hit it with a few shots, it may be enough…" he looked to his left hand and saw the broken fingers he already had. "I've got two more for this hand. I'll make them count!" He prepared his left pinkie and pointed his arm forward.

"Smash!"

The area erupted in a huge blast from the green haired boy striking the Nomu full force, yet through Midoriya's pain squinted eyes he saw it was still standing strong. "It's not moving still!"

"Don't give it a chance to come forward! Keep going!" Katara yelled and clasped her hands together before spinning and shooting a rotating spire of water from her arms and crashing into the Nomu's chest. Dark shadow immediately joined in and punched the hulking monster over and over again. Even together it seemed the creature felt nothing from the hits, it's lifeless eyes not showing a spec of worry at all.

"Dark shadow, push forward!" Tokoyami yelled.

" _I got this! I can keep it up!"_ Dark shadow hissed and continued its hits.

"Not that easy for me…" Midoriya muttered under his breath as he looked at his single unbroken finger on his left. His hand trembled but his hardened gaze looked up as his friends continued fighting. "Not giving up… is what a true hero would do!" He yelled and readied his final left finger.

"Smash!"

Katara and Tokoyami nearly felt themselves pulled off the ground by the force to their side that struck the nomu. Seeing their chance with the additional power, they went at it once more. "All together, now!" Katara ordered as she formed a thick solid block of ice for a single, strong blow.

"Got it! Dark shadow, one more hit!" Tokoyami demanded as he sent dark shadow forward. The conjured bird rushed through the air claws out to strike the nomu in the face in the slight hope to stagger it just a step backwards onto Mineta's quirk. But before any of them could see it move, the Nomu's fist blasted forward and landed square into dark shadow's stomach so hard, the impact reverberated through the entire plaza.

An eerie silence fell over the area as the shadow quirk went completely limp and fell to the ground. All of the students were frozen in shock and disbelief, most of all Tokoyami as he stared at his fallen quirk. "D-dark shadow, return!" His blood ran cold as dark shadow twitched on the ground, the sentient quirk coughing for air and in pain. Never once had dark shadow been injured to such a degree, and it took this monster only one hit to cause that.

Both Katara and Midoriya were in shock to the sight they barely had time to look back before the Nomu was on them once again. "Midoriya, get back!" Katara yelled and shot an ice spike into the monsters chest, but it didn't even look her way and reached for the terrified boy backpedaling from his spot. "Midoriya!"

Just before the creature reached to grab him, Tsu's tongue shot out grabbing the petrified boy and yanked him back away from the ground and out of range. Seeing one target gone, the Nomu turned back to Katara and brought it arm across its body to strike. Panicking, Katara used all her water and created a four foot thick ice shield in front of her self. "What is this thing!? It's like nothing can stop it!" She braced herself as the back fist came swinging in, prepared to seal it in place after her ice blocked the attack. When it hit however, the ice shattered like it was nothing, only slowing the fists speed slightly as it crashed into Katara's side and launched her across the plaza.

"KATARA!" the others all cried out as they watched their friend flung like a rag doll and slide across the stone.

Katara gasped for air and clutched at her stomach from the immense pain running through her. Every breath felt like a knife digging into her chest, feeling a few ribs were cracked from the hit. She hobbled up to her knees and coughed, seeing a small spray of blood hit the ground below her. She wheezed in and out trying sit up, but the pain was to much and she curled back down, whimpering as her forehead laid pressed to the stone beneath her.

"I-it hurts…" she gasped out between breaths, her eyes clenched tight as she tried to overcome the pain. She forced her head to turn and look up to the Nomu standing there, almost as if it wasn't tired in the slightest. "We… we c-couldn't stop this th-thing."

Tokoyami had finally managed to retrieve dark shadow into his body, but like the others he was petrified in horror. In a single instant that monster took all of them out like they weren't even there. They were helpless against this beast, and now they stood helpless not knowing what else to do. Their eerie silence was broken by the horrific cackle to the side.

"Hahahaha! Isn't this wonderful? You little brats thought you could be heroes, and yet you were taken down by this beast. Nomu was made to kill All Might, what did you think you could do against him?" Shigaraki laughed at the terrified looks they were giving. "Nomu is the anti symbol of peace. You had no chance trying to fight."

The dark mist cloud swirled behind Shigaraki, sighing as he looked to his accomplice return. "Ah, Kurogiri, so you have taken care of the rest?"

Kurogiri's eyes narrowed as he turned. "Sir, I have taken Thirteen out of commission, but one of the students managed to escape. His speed was too much."

The smile underneath Shigaraki's covered face faded at those words. "...What?"

"Speed?" Katara coughed again when she heard those words, her mind thinking of one in particular. "It must be…. I-Iida."

At first Shigaraki's left hand began scratching at his neck, growing more vigorous every second. Soon both hands were clawing to his neck as he hissed in anger. "Kurogiri… you fool. If you weren't our escape route, I'd tear you apart right now!"

He stopped his tantrum and took a breath. "Well if one made it, that means they will bring more pros here soon. It's game over. Let us head back for now."

"What?" Midoriya gasped, "Th-they are leaving now?"

"Ribbit. We got really lucky. Some one is warning the teachers and scaring them away." Tsu chirped happily. "Now we can get Katara to the doctors-

They were all shocked by the speed Shigaraki made it across the plaza, standing over the stunned Katara still on the ground. Midoriya's mouth hung open in terror as he watched the villains open hand reach down. "Oh no!"

"But first, lets destroy some of that school pride they adore so much of." Shigaraki laughed and reached for his target.

Katara was a mix of too injured and too terrified to move at all. Her eyes stared at the hand reaching to her face, her mind replaying the horrid sight of her teachers elbow crumbling to the touch. She flipped her body back to her bottom and crawled as much as the pain would allow her. "St-stay back!" she glared up at him as he chuckled.

"Don't fight it. It only makes it-

Shigaraki was cut off as a strip of binding cloth wrapped his wrist and stopped his grasp. Katara's mouth dropped as she followed the cloth to one she didn't expect. "Aizawa sensei?"

Her teacher was standing there blood dripping down is broken arm, his other arm held tight on the cloth as his hair stood on end. His glowing eyes glared at the hand villain even as blood dripped down his forehead. "You will not harm my students anymore." he growled through his clenched teeth.

"You really are cool, Erasurehead." Shigaraki sneered as he turned back to the girl beneath him. "I will still finish what I want to do here before-

"Get away from her!"

All of them turned in surprise to the green haired boy leaping through the air, his right hand clenched and glowing bright. "Midoriya stop!" Aizawa pleaded to death ears however, the teen set on protecting his new friend with everything he had.

"SMASH!"

Midoriya's hit launched pressure of air far beyond anything before that day. Trees rocked like a hurricane was whipping through the area. The other students and Aizawa shielded their eyes as they struggled just to stay where they were. Katara however stared open mouth in amazement to the power unleashed in front of her. "M-Midoriya?"

Taking a deep breath, Izuku suddenly looked down and noticed something amazing. _'My arm… its… not broken? I controlled it!? And I managed to get a good smash as well!'_ He cheered internally and looked up… only to have his excitement die that next moment. "What?"

The Nomu was standing there as a meat shield in front of Shigaraki. But more shocking than wanting to offer its body to protect the grotesque villain was the fact it was standing there unfazed and unaffected by the attack.

"Well child. That attack of yours. Are you one of All Might's followers?" Shigaraki questioned from behind his beast. "No matter, I'm done with you now."

"Midoriya. Get away now!" Aizawa yelled out and moved as fast as he could, watching helplessly as the nomu's large hand reached for the petrified boy beneath it.

Everything stopped however when the doors to the USJ were blasted open.

Everyone in the vicinity froze at what they were doing and turned to the massive smoke cloud flowing into the upper walkway. Everything was silent, only broken by the splashing of the fountain behind the group below. Soon, the heavy footsteps of someone entering echoed through the air. Katara couldn't breathe in anticipation at what was coming. Soon, the cheers of the other classmates from above were heard as the newcomer passed. Her eyes then saw a single massive figure walking through the haze, and two protuding hair strands going above his head.

" **I had a bad feeling something was happening. I ran into Iida on the way here and he gave me the rundown. But it is fine now…"** The great hero pronounced as he came into view above the stairs. **"I am here!"**

"It's… him." Katara smiled and wiped the drip of blood off of her chin. She winced in pain but still crawled to her knees. "He's here."

"All Might…" Midoriya whispered in excitement to the sight of his idol and mentor, but he noticed the look on his face, one he had never seen before. "He… isn't smiling."

All Might was indeed not wearing his signature grin, instead holding a deep scowl across his face. His darkened eyes glared down at the villains hovered over his friend and students, seeing the blood coming down on two of them. **"You** **will regret ever laying your hands on anyone here."**

Shigaraki gave a small chuckle at the sight before him. "Well look what we have here. I am glad you decided to come and join us here, All Might. I was beginning to-

The number one hero disappeared in a blur before anyone could see, Shigaraki himself knocked off balance by a gust wind rushing by and knocking the hand clenched on his face to the ground. Tsu and Tokoyami could not even see what had happened before they noticed All might to their right. The hero clutched Aizawa in his left arm, then Midoriya and Katara in his right. The waterbender held a dumbfounded look on her face as she looked around where she was, completely confused how she ended up from her former spot to here that quickly. She turned her head up towards All Might as he lowered them to the ground, but as his arm shifted on her ribs she yelped out in pain.

"Katara!" Midoriya reached out and caught her from falling… before realizing his arm was around her waist. "Uhhhhhh…" His face turned deep red and sweat poured down his brow. "I-I-I g-got y-y-y-ou!"

"Katara, are you alright!?" Tokoyami rushed over with Tsu to her side as Midoriya helped her to the ground.

"Please be okay, ribbit…" Tsu croaked out seeing her friend on the ground.

"I'm al-agh.!" Katara paused as she took a breath, letting the pain subside. "I'm okay. Thank you."

"No you are not…" Tokoyami answered as he looked to the torn clothes on her stomach and saw the deep bruising underneath. "You are injured."

She let out a forced chuckle and clutched her side. It's not as bad as it looks."

All Might growled seeing the girl beneath him hurt, looking over to Aizawa in his other arm. **"I am sorry I was not here earlier, Aizawa. Please forgive me."**

"Just shut up, All Might…" Aizawa grunted and stood up next to him clutching his broken arm. "… not a time for apologies."

Away from the happy students, Shigaraki shuffled and picked the hand up and placed it back on his face. "Father…" he sighed and took a deep breath. "He is fast. So fast I couldn't see him. But… he's not as fast as I thought he would be. That means…" He couldn't help but laugh to himself. "He's getting weaker."

Seeing movement behind him, All Might turned and stood between the villains and the others. **"Head up to the exit now. It is time that I handle this."** He said.

"What? You can't fight that thing All Might!" Midoriya pleaded. "That monster took a direct one for-" he paused as he realized what he was saying. "I-it took a direct hit from my power and it didn't even hurt it, and it heals injuries too."

All Might didn't turn around as he gave a thumbs up to the group, his face now bearing his trademark smile. **"Nothing to fear now. I will take care of these villains now. Follow Aizawa out of here and get back to the school."**

Katara winced as she stood up. "But sir, if we help fight, we can-

" **You have done quite enough young Katara, but now its time to let the pros handle this."** All Might cut her off and stepped forward. **"I am here to end this!"**

Bursting forward, All Might rushed at the Nomu and dodged underneath the monsters arm and landed a powerful blow into its stomach. Like he was warned, All Might saw it had no affect. He grunted and punched several more times, each one sending shock waves outward through the Nomu's body. **"It seems you can take a punch."** As he continued his attacks, Shigaraki laughed in amusement.

"You always think punching your way through something will solve your problems, All Might. But Nomu here was made just for you. His shock absorption can withstand you at 100% of your power."

Hearing the taunt only made All Might grin wider. **"You think this creature** **can take me on? I've been waiting for a challenge!"** Bringing his hands back, the hero began unleashing punch after punch into the beast.

Aizawa and the others watched in amazement as All Might chose to fight the Nomu head on alone. Seeing there chance, he turned to his students. "Let's get out of here now."

While the others nodded and started to move helping Katara up, but she waved her hand at them. "I can manage. Thanks." She wheezed out between breaths. "Don't worry." She winced as Tsu slipped underneath her left arm and stood up.

"You are too stubborn, you know that?" Tsu croaked, bringing a grin to Katara's face.

"I guess you are right." Katara sighed as she hobbled along with her and Tokoyami. While they made their way to the steps, their other friend walked behind with Aizawa. "But sir, we cannot leave All Might alone!" Midoriya pleaded.

"He can handle himself. We need to get you and Katara to the infirmary." He looked to the bushed to the side and glared. "Let's go Mineta."

The purple headed boy popped his body out and glanced up to his teacher. "Uh I was guarding the stairs for us, sir." He turned back towards All Might still fighting the Nomu and pumped his fist. "Yeah All Might! Kick it's ass back to-

"Just shut up and come." Azaiwa snapped and looked to the broken fingers on the green haired child's hand and glared. "And you need more practice."

While Midoriya blushed in embarrassment, Katara just shook her head. "I don't think this is time to lecture."

"And I don't think this is a time to not use your powers." He retorted.

Katara turned her head back to him in confusion. "I tried using my water on that thing. It didn't even do anything and-

"I meant about healing that injury you have, Katara."

The waterbenders body froze in her spot when he said that, causing Tsu to stumble slightly. She looked at the seriousness in her teachers eyes, not even having to think about the fact how he knew what she could do, just accepting the fact he did. While the others looked questionably at each other to what they were talking about, Katara just exhaled deeply and frowned.

"Guess I shouldn't have tried to hide it then." She grunted and pushed Tsu's arm off. She looked to the side and saw a large chunk of loose ice and waved her hand melting it, bending the water up and towards herself. Tsu and the others stared in confusion.

"Katara what are you trying to-

"I may have not been fully honest earlier. I'll explain it all later." Katara answered and brought the water to her hands. The bright blue glow started again as she pressed it to her side, instantly yelping in pain from the touch. After a few moments, a soothing sensation began to overtake the pain. She couldn't mend the damaged bones, but at least the bruising could be removed for some comfort.

While the students all watched in awe as the bruising could visibly be seen fading away, Aizawa narrowed his gaze in a small sense of amusement. _'Someone with a power like this and afraid to reveal it. Perhaps she just needs a talk with me later.'_ he mused to himself before walking forward.

"Before we continue the questions, lets get out of her first." Aizawa hobbled up the steps passed the five students.

As the glowing faded, Tsu stared in awe as the bruising was now gone, her hand subconsciously touching her cheek that had the same thing done to her. "So… you did this when-

"I'm sorry…" Katara took a deep breath, still feeling the sharp pain on her sides but now able to tolerate it better. "… there are things I didn't tell you before that-

" **Texas smash!"**

Another powerful shockwave ripped through the students as All Might's attacks continued. They all turned to see the blonde man clashing fists with the Nomu as neither seemed to let up an inch. "That thing is insane to take hits from All Might." Tokoyami stated as they stared.

His feet kidding across the ground, All Might smiled wider and cracked his knuckles. **"You are quite the monster. But you are nothing more than a big punching bag!"** He leaped forward and watched as the Nomu brought its claws out and reached towards him. **"I'll send you all back to where you crawled out from!"**

Before he could land his punch, however, a swirling portal opened up in front of the Nomu's hand, the beast shooting its claws through it and out of the portal that opened behind All Might. The hero gasped as he felt the razor sharp talons pierce his back and latch tight.

"All Might!" Midoriya and the others gasped in shock as the white shirt he wore began turning red as the claws dug deeper into him.

" **Agh…** **damn it!"** All Might yelled and reached back grabbing the forearm of the creature, but his own strength couldn't budge it. **"What power!"**

"So the great All Might is finally still…" Kurogiri chuckled and widened the portal behind All Might, "… Retraining you was nomu's job, and now once you are pulled through my gate, I shut it when ou are partially through. Quite messy, but with you being the one dying I will gladly take the blood."

Aizawa grunted and began trying to hop back down the stairs towards the battle. "This is bad. If that gate closes on him, not even he could survive that. If I can shut off that portal users quirk then-

The rush of wind passed the hobbling teacher caused his heart rate to jump as he saw who it was. **"** Midoriya, no!" Aizawa yelled out.

Katara's eyes went wide as her friend ran straight towards the battle. "Midoriya, what are-" she yelped as she tried running forward and clutched her side, her ribs still causing pain. "Midoriya don't!" she screamed after him.

His ears didn't hear their pleas as he sprinted down and towards his mentor. He couldn't stand by as his idol and now friend was being hurt.

"All Might!" he cried out, causing the heroe's eyes to widen.

" **Midoriya, don't! Get out of here!"** All Might yelled out as Kurogiri suddenly appeared in front of him. **"Don't you dare touch him!"**

Midoriya tried to stop his sprint at the villain appearing, but the cloud grew wider and was about to swallow him up just like it had done to him before. His heart pounded in his chest as darkness began to overtake him once more… just before a green gauntlet burst from the side and collided with the mass.

BOOM!

"Get the hell out of my way, Deku!" Bakugo yelled and slammed Kurogiri's body into the ground.

"Kachaan!?" Midoriya gasped as he watched his childhood friend come out of nowhere. "Where did you-

"Just shut up and stay out of my way! This smoky bastard is mine!" Bakugo growled and kept his palm on the iron neck piece inside the smoke and grinned. "Looks like you do have a body, you warping shit head."

In the next instant, a wave of ice rushed across the ground and crawled up the Nomu's body freezing its right leg. The ice continued upward and covered the creatures right side and arm completely, hardening all the way through the skin and muscles. The others on the stairs watched in surprise and turned to the waterbender with them.

"Katara, you did that?" Tokoyami asked, only getting a shake of her head.

"No, that wasn't me." she replied. Her eyes then caught a familiar red and white head standing off to the side. "Looks like we aren't alone here."

Todoroki had made it as well, eyes glaring towards the dark creature. "It seems this was the thing those villains told me about. Looks like they weren't wrong."

" **You kids…"** All Might looked back in shock that they had come here. He then noticed the grip in his back had weakened thanks to the freezing done. Whipping his elbow back, he snapped the frozen arm off by the wrist and jumped back, growling out as he ripped the amputated arm and hand off of his back and toss it aside. He hissed and reached up and felt the blood pour down below his shoulder blades. **"Damn it, that hit with more than I expected."**

"Todoroki…" Katara whispered in amazement. "… They all made it here."

Todoroki heard her voice and turned towards her, seeing the injury to her side before turning back. "If you were hurt, then this thing is much worse than those thugs they sent after us."

Katara raised an eyebrow to what she thought was a compliment, only for a familiar red head jumping through the air to break her thoughts.

"Rah! Take this you creepy asshole!" Kirishima yelled as well and leaped towards Shigaraki, although the villain casually dodged his swing. "Ah damn it! Now I couldn't do something cool!" he pouted out loud.

"Ah shut up spiky hair." Bakugo growled and sparked his quirk onto Kurogiri's neck. "Don't even think about moving, you dumb ass. I'll blow your damn head off if I see as much as a puff around me."

The sinister grin on the kids face above him made Kurogiri grunt in frustration. While he hoped it was a bluff, something about the look he gave made him think he wasn't joking.

Looking around to the three newcomers, Shigaraki began grunting in frustration and scratching his neck again. "What the hell… can't one of these little brats be dead? All of those useless fools! Damn it!"

Taking a deep breath, All Might stood tall and walked in front of the others. **"You should go and join Aizawa and the rest of them to escape. I'll deal with them."**

Todoroki glared to the bleeding hero. "If we did not show up you would have been in trouble."

" **I thank you for that, but now it is time for a pro to take care of this situation."**

Katara made her way down several steps and stopped by Aizawa as they stared to the sudden change of events just now. She looked up to him and gave a small smile. "It looks like we have the advantage now, sir." Her grin disappeared when his expression never changed, his eyes locked onto the Nomu still.

"This isn't over yet." he responded as the creature pulled its severed arm back through the portal.

The Nomu screeched out and swung down shattering its frozen leg and what was left of its arm to everyone's shock. Even Todoroki's normally stern gaze was replaced with disbelief to the seemingly lack of pain in the monster's face. Within only a few seconds its damaged flesh underneath began shifting as it did with Katara's attack earlier, but even the waterbender was stunned silent as a fleshy mob protruded outward. The muscles and bones grew out from its shoulder and hips, reshaping itself into new limbs before the skin followed as well.

" **What the hell is that?"** All Might yelled out in disbelief. **"You said his quirk was shock** **absorption.** **"**

"I didn't say that was the only quirk he has." Shigaraki chuckled at the heroes face as the Nomu's limbs were completely regenerated as if nothing had happened. "He was made just for you, All Might. And now I am growing annoyed by this day. Let's get our exit back, Nomu."

All Might's eyes shot open as the nomu burst passed him and went straight for its next target. **"Bakugo, get away now!"**

The ash blonde couldn't even process what he heard before his eyes saw the dark creature sprinting towards him. His body couldn't even move an inch before the creatures hands slammed directly into him creating an immense dust cloud from the impact.

Katara brought her hand to her mouth as she watched Bakugo disappear from sight. She had felt its power before with a shield wall, but he had nothing to protect him from its hit, fearing the worst possible outcome. She then noticed something amazing. "What?"

"Kachaan!" Midoriya yelled out and tried to move, but he along with the other two boys below were confused as Bakugo was sitting at their feet with a bewildered look on his face. "Kachaan? How did you-

"I didn't move, you dumbass." Bakugo growled and stood up.

"Wait, if you didn't move then…" Midoriya went silent as he and everyone else looked to the direction of the Nomu's attack, seeing a bruised and bleeding All Might standing there.

Panting for air, All Might coughed and spit out a small mouthful of blood. The hit he took moving Bakugo out of the way was much harder than he had expected, rivaling attacks from his younger days that made him glare at the Nomu. **"I warned you** **that** **you would not harm my students** **anymore** **!"**

Shigaraki threw his arms out and chuckled. "Isn't that what us villains are supposed to do? Why don't you just roll over and die for us, I promise that I will make their deaths very fast."

Gritting her teeth, Katara began walking down the steps towards the battle. If she could heal All Might even in the slightest, it could change the tide of the battle. Before she could she could she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She looked back to see her teacher glaring at her.

"You really are stubborn, Katara." Aizawa grunted as some more blood dripped into his eyes. "You stay here."

Glaring back, she attempted to shake his hand off. "I can help him, sir. If I can heal a some of his wounds then-

"If you want something to heal, start here…" Aizawa forced his eyes open through the blood coming from his scalp. "… we can both help him."

She gave a confused look at that. "What do you mean?"

The smallest of smirks formed on Aizawa's mouth to her question. "Your healing will be what saves All Might."

She then looked down to the water still over her hands then back to the blood on his head, her mind immediately understanding what he meant. She nodded and brought her hands up as they glowed again. "Alright, lets do this."

Down below, All Might grunted in frustration as he felt his limit coming soon. _'I barely have a minute left in this form. My powers are declining faster than I thought they would.'_ He glared seeing Shigaraki preparing to rush towards his students once more. He then felt a surge deep within him, an energy that had been passed down to him from his own master and the one before them. His eyes glowed bright blue and he clenched his fists.

' _Even so, I have to stop these villains. Because I am…'_ his eyes locked onto the villains, **"The worlds symbol of peace and justice!"**

All eyes on the plaza turned to the yellow and white blur launching himself towards the large Nomu. Both All Might's and the Nomu's fist collided generating a massive shock wave sending Shigaraki tumbling through the air. The villain leader grunted and landed on the ground. "What the hell!? Didn't you hear one of his quirks is shock absorption?"

" **Yeah? What about it!?"** All Might grinned and began unleashing a barrage of punches, the Nomu itself matching the blows as well. There powerful hands collided creating what felt like a hurricane inside the building. Everyone braced themselves just to stand up as the number one hero and this monstrosity went all out against each other.

"He's gonna try and take that thing head on!?" Midoriya grunted through his arms to try and see what was going on.

"God damn, they are going so fast!" Kirishima yelled as he nearly fell on his back.

" **Rah! You said his power was shock absorption, not nullification…"** All Might jeered as he continued his barrage of punches. **"… that means there is a limit to how much you can take!"**

All Might's blows began to overtake the Nomu's own speed, landing hits onto the creatures stomach, but the occasional blow landed on All Might as well. Even so he did not stop and kept his pace up, throwing everything he had into every blow. Then suddenly, one of All Might's punches connected to the nomu's chest and launched it backwards through the plaza and through several trees. Shigaraki gasped in shock at the sight.

"What!? Why the hell is his absorption not working!?"

Even All Might was surprised by the sudden change. **"Did it already hit its limit? Its quirk is-"** his mind then clicked and he looked back to the stairs, his grin widening once again. **"Now I understand."**

Katara's glowing water was encasing Aizawa's scalp, healing the damage done from the Nomu's initial attack. With the pain subsiding on his head it gave the erasure teacher the freedom to use his own quirk on the beast, his red eyes beaming across the plaza.

"I can't keep this up long, All Might. Use this time now!" Aizawa yelled out.

Giving a quick nod, All Might turned back to see the Nomu slowly crawling up. **"So you have no more shock** **absorption** **,** **that's bad luck for you!"**

As he catapulted forward once again, Katara grinned from behind her teacher. "Get him, All Might! Finish it!"

Before the beast could stand back up, All Might clothes lined it with his powerful forearm and knocked it onto its back once more. He quickly dropped down and drove an elbow right into the monsters stomach, this time a deep gasp escaping the Nomu's mouth. The sight made All Might snicker.

" **Without your quirk now, these hits do affect you now!"** he scoffed and grabbed the villain by the leg and lifted him off the ground. Tossing him up, he unloaded another barrage of uppercuts into its stomach and one powerful enough to send it careening into the air. Still not done, the number one pro blasted off the ground and passed the Nomu flying upwards, bringing his arms up together and hammer fisted the creature back towards the ground in a massive eruption of stone and dust. All of the students were in silence in amazement to the display of power and speed of the attacks.

The Nomu could barely move at this point, its body now bleeding out from the powerful attacks it had been taking. It's body barely stood up from the ground before All Might landed down in front of it.

" **Hey villain, you may have heard these words before, but I'll show you what they really mean…"** All Might focused everything he had in his body down into his right fist, the energy surging out and covering his arm as he brought it forward. **"Go beyond!"**

He buried his fist deep into the Nomu's stomach, the sheer kinetic energy seemingly lighting up the beast's body in a blinding light.

" **PLUS… ULTRAAAAAA!"**

The punch had so much force the entire plaza shook like an earthquake ripped through the ground. The Nomu's body itself was hit so hard it was launched up towards the sky… with it's arms falling off and dropping to the ground. The arm less body screamed through the air and crashed into the ceiling high above and ripped through the steel framed structure, its body continuing upwards and disappearing passed the clouds and into the blue sky.

All of the other students were in amazement to the battle that seemed to end in seconds. They stared open mouthed to the now open hole in the roof high above the plaza.

"That was… crazy." Kirishima mumbled out loud.

Todoroki took a breath and looked back to the hero standing there. _'He really is the most powerful hero.'_ He said to himself, a small sense of pleasure seeing who it was.

" **I really have gotten weaker…"** All Might chuckled and stood up. **"Back in my hay day, five hits would have been enough."**

He brought his fist to his chest and laughed. **"Even with help, today it took a hundred mighty blows to stop this thing."**

The sight she had just witnessed nearly made Katara fall back in disbelief. She had seen videos of All Might fighting before, but to see him in person was something else entirely. His speed, his power and everything else; it was far beyond anything she could ever had imagined. She thought back to her encounter with Endeavor when she first arrived, and she could instantly see the gap between the two of them. She now could see what this world meant when they called him the number one hero. Even with that absorption power stopped, she knew how powerful that thing was, and he defeated it with such power it looked like it wasn't even a battle. He was the greatest hero.

"He is… incredible." she whispered quietly.

**Notes: Wow wow wow. this ended up being harder than i expected. but this was still alot of fun. Now we see an easier battle for All Might and Katara exposing more of her secrets. lets see what happens later. Till next time!**


	17. What a Day

The large plaza was a ghostly silence as all the eyes stared to where All Might stood. The final barrage only lasted a minute, and yet it was probably the most intense battle they had ever seen. The speed and power to which he moved at, it seemed unreal for all the students to see him fight in person. Bakugo's jaw hung open as he looked between the ceiling hole and All Might to amazement at his power.

"He was hitting that creature so hard and fast it didn't even have time to react." He said to himself, eyeing how powerful the number one hero was… the very spot he wanted to be.

Katara and Aizawa sat back as her hands lowered from his head, happy to see the creature she fought was gone. "It's over now. With that thing gone we can take care of the rest easy."

While he didn't want to get too excited, Aizawa had to agree to her statement. "It was obvious that thing they had was the main weapon to battle All Might, that means there ace card is gone."

While everyone was feeling happy for the end of the nomu, Midoriya felt his heart rate climbing as he looked to All Might through the dust. While the others hadn't noticed it yet, he could see the steam flowing off of the heroe's body. _'Oh no, his body can't hold that form anymore.'_ he said in panic as he looked over to the others. _'If they stay here, his secret will be blown!'_

Even All Might glanced down to his arm at the hissing steam. _'Damn it, I'm out of time in this form._ _If I don't end this right now, it's done for.'_ He looked up to the two villains still standing by the fountain, as well as the many goons beginning to wake up from fighting Aizawa. _'Shit… this just got worse.'_

The erasure teacher grunted as all the villains he faced earlier began to stir. "Damn it. I can't face them again like this."

"Then we will help this time." Katara stated and walked passed him, earning another glare from him.

"Just because I said to use your powers doesn't mean you get freedom to fight." He scolded her. "And you are still injured. So sit back for now."

She grunted and stopped walking, looking back as All Might facing up against the leader.

" **S** **o, you were all talk before with your strange friend. Where's all that confidence now?"** All Might goaded Shigaraki, hoping to scare him off with a bluff. **"If you are so ready to kill me, then come do it yourself!"**

Seeing the situation he was in now, Shigaraki began to hyperventalate in his spot. His hands reached up in anger and furiously began scratching at his neck again. "What the hell is all of this? Nomu is gone, and all of these brats are not dead. Why? Why? WHY!?"

"Tomura, calm yourself!" Kurogiri pleaded to the man child. "We haven't been defeated. Look…" his yellow eyes shifted back towards all Might, noticing the slight shake in his stance. "… His body is injured. It seems Nomu was a success in sapping the energy out of him. Plus the children are frightened and will be distracted by our comrades waking up. We can take him out together."

Shigaraki halted his assault on his neck and glared to the number one hero. His breath came in short gasps still and stepped forward. "We came to kill him. And I guess I have to kill him myself now."

All might grunted in frustration as he saw the two villains look straight towards him, seeing them ready to charge him once again. _'Shit… if I try and fight I won't be able to hold this form! I may only get one or two hits if I am lucky.'_

The heroes guess was correct as Shigaraki sprinted forward. "You are going to pay for what you did to Nomu!"

"Watch it, we got more fight on our hands." Bakugo grunted and braced himself. Before he or anyone else could even see however, a single person was already flying through the air.

"Midoriya!?" Katara and Aizawa yelled in shock to the boy already across the plaza. He had somehow moved so fast no one had seen him even jump from his spot among the others. They didn't know however his speed was his downfall at the moment.

' _AHH!'_ Iuzku's mind screamed from the pain in his now broken legs. _'I controlled it earlier, but they broke just now! It doesn't matter. If I can get one good hit one them!"_

" **Midoriya, no!"** All Might called out in fear of his safety. He stepped forward and immediately felt his muscles spasm. ' _Damn it, move body!'_

"Get away from All Might!" Midoriya yelled in anger and readied his punch. It was in vain however as Shigaraki reached his hand through Kurogiri's body and appeared directly in front of Midoriya's face.

"No, Midoriya!" Katara screamed and brought her arm up ready to throw an ice spike, but the sharp movement shot pain up her injured side and she fell to her knees. Her eyes looked back in fear of her friend flying directly into the wretched fingers of the villain, the helpless feeling she had when she wasn't able to save someone came back into her mind. The fact she wasn't strong enough to do anything.

POP!

The ear splitting crack of the gunshot rang through the USJ as a bullet ripped straight through Skigaraki's hand. Katara's heart jumped from the loud sound and turned up towards the top of the stairs to see a mask wearing man pointing his weapon down towards the battlefield. "Wh-Who's that!?" she questioned, bringing a sigh out of Aizawa.

"Backup."

The teacher Snipe turned and shot two more rounds across the entire USJ to the aid of other students, much to the absolute shock of Yaoyorozu and Jiro in their mountain zone battle. The other students at the top of the stairs sat open mouthed in awe as the other figures made their way to the view of everyone else below.

"Sorry everyone. I know we are a bit late, but we will fix this problem immediately." Nezu said from the top of another's shoulder.

Katara felt her heart jump at the sight of a certain person in the crowd, her smile spreading across her entire face. "Iida."

"Do not fear everyone! The UA staff are here to end this now!" Tenya yelled out as all of UA's staff lined the top of the steps.

The villains below all began panicking at the sight of so many pros in one spot, some attempting to use their own quirks and attack from the ground. Present Mic gave a small sigh and walked down a few steps and took a deep breath. Aizawa saw this and looked to all the students on the steps. "All of you, cover your ears now!"

"What?" Katara watched in confusion as he pressed his hands to his head. "Why are you-

"Do it now!"

His yell shocked her, but she followed suit and clasped her head just in time.

" _YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

The yellow sound wave hit Katara like a locomotive, rocking her head so hard she nearly collapsed even when shielding her ears. She winced to the vibration seeming to shake her very core. "What the heck is that kind of power!?"

The moment it stopped was followed by another teacher draped in a trench coat flying passed her… and then another and another identical to the first. She turned in amazement to the strange teacher who multiplied and continued taking out the many villains trying to flee. "Wow… they are good." she said to herself.

Seeing his plan falling apart, Shigaraki grunted in annoyance and walked backwards to Kurogiri. "So many pro heroes here foiling our day. It's game over now. We should head back to-

The villain screamed in agony as both of his knees were shot through forcing him to his belly. Kurogiri quickly dropped and began activating his warp gate, but was also caught off guard by the powerful suction pulling his cloud form upwards.

"What is that!?" the smoke villain screamed. He turned and glared to the sight of Thirteen standing up, aided by Sero and Koda as she used her quirk to suck him up. "She's still alive!?"

Wreathing on the ground in pain, Shigaraki turned and glared through the fingers to All Might standing there still. He felt his body pulled into Kurogiri's quirk, but not before he cursed out in anger.

"You haven't beaten me yet, All Might. I'll kill you soon, Symbol of peace. One day!"

In a swirling puff, the two villains vanished from the plaza and disappeared, leaving the remaining goons to the mercy of the teachers reaching the plaza center. Katara watched silently as the area was cleared out by the pros, leaving only the few students to watch the display.

"Katara!"

Hearing her name, she turned around to see Tenya running down the steps towards her, bringing a smile to her face. "Iida, I'm glad you are alright!"

"Katara, I was so worried when you vanished in the cloud!" Iida exclaimed as he stopped in front of her. "What happened?"

"Me and Tokoyami ended up together over in that place…" she pointed to the building in the distance. "… After he fought our way out we ended up here. We-

She was cut off as he suddenly pulled her into a light hug. Katara sat surprised for a few seconds before Iida sat back and adjusted his glasses. "I-I'm sorry, I just felt worried about what happened and it was good to see you-

It was his turn to be silenced by the warm embrace she gave to him. He stuttered as he looked down to her laying her head against his chest, a smile across her face. He smiled back and placed his arms back around her. The moment he returned the hug, Katara took a quick inhale, enjoying a feeling she had not felt in a long time. Being around him for so long, she knew how hey had become good friends, but the more she sat in the hug, it reminded her of a feeling she used to get with her brother.

* * *

The warp gate inside the old karaoke bar slowly opened up and dropped the bleeding Shigaraki onto the floor. The hand covered man grunted out to the pain in his shot limbs, but more to the fact that his attack had failed.

"Damn it! Damn it all! All of those villains we gathered taken out, and Nomu was defeated. How could this happen? He was supposed to be weaker than before. You were wrong..." he looked up and glared to the tv screen on the wall. "... you were wrong, master!"

"No, I wasn't..." the eerie voice responded through the monitor, his face still unseen. "... if we are dealing with All Might, i assumed he would not have gone down so easily. This was still a perfect test for what is to come."

Shigaraki clawed at the ground in rage, his mind replaying the failed attempt over and over. "It was supposed to work. Nomu was sopposed to kill him, and he was beat so easily. That damn Erasure head. Damn him!"

"What!?" Another voice came through the monitor, this one more raspy then the first. "Nomu is gone!?"

"All Might hit him so hard in the battle his arms fell off his body..." kurogiri explained, his body of mist now contained inside a shirt and vest get up. "... due to his quirks being erased his shock absorbstion was not being utilized in the end."

"Shit! How could this have happened? We designed him perfectly to combat All Might to-

"Calm yourself, doctor..." the first voice ordered, "... this was simply a setback in our plan. We were not expecting another staff member there."

"All of those stupid brats. That stupid water girl..." shigaraki growled out. "... if she didn't save Erasurehead or heal his wounds, he couldn't have used his quirk on Nomu."

"A healer you say? Very interesting..." the voice stated, his curiosity growing.

"Then... that stupid green haired brat..." shigaraki pounded the ground in frustration. "... he moved just as fast as All Might. If he didn't get in the way, the symbol of peace would be dead!"

The last statement really caught the mysterious man's attention. "Oh? Did he now?" A slight chuckle was heard in the speakers. "Either way, take your time and recover your strength. Gather the forces you need for your next phase. While i wait in the shadows, you must be my face. Tomura shigaraki, you will show the world why you are to be feared."

* * *

After the teachers had cleared out all of the random villains through the USJ, they made sure to gather all of the dispersed students and get them out to the front where the police waited for them. There, the many teens all cheered on in celebration seeing they made it out of their situation. Two of the twenty however were not among them, instead they were in the school hospital.

In one of the waiting rooms, Katara sat on one of the two beds there, the other occupied by her teacher. She looked over at his shattered arm hanging limp to his side, a feeling of worry running through her. "How are you feeling, sensei?" She asked him.

"I'm fine…" he sighed and laid back against the pillow, wincing as his body made contact. He glanced over to her raised eyebrow and huffed. "I've had worse."

"How can you be worse than that?" She asked him, "Your arm looks like every bone is broken."

The sudden knock cut Katara's question off. She turned to see the door open and a very short elderly woman walk inside with a small smile on her face. "It seems you had a rough time today, Aizawa." the woman said.

Aizawa grunted and turned away. "Just get on with it and heal her first, Recovery Girl."

Katara watched as the short woman walked over towards her, remembering Midoriya mentioning her several times. "So, you are Recovery Girl?"

The elderly woman nodded. "Indeed. Pleasure to meet you, Katara. Now let me see what we have to work with."

Katara nodded and laid her body back, wincing as she pulled the torn robes to the side showing her stomach, earning a confused look from the nurse. "Hmm, it seems you have some broken ribs, and yet the bruising is already healed…"

Taking a quick glance to Aizawa staring at her, Katara sighed and looked back to the nurse. "I healed the bruising earlier to help, but it wasn't enough for the bones."

"Oh? You have a healing quirk? I read your power was a water offensive based ability." Recovery Girl stated, making Katara rub her head.

"Well… I can do both actually. It's a long story and-

MUAH!

The waterbender's eyes went wide as the sudden lips sticking to her cheek. She was frozen in shock and glanced over to the outstretched lips pressed to her face. "What in the hell!? Why are-

The amazing sensation running through Katara's body cut her reaction off. She noticed the light green glow covering her, and almost instantly the pain in her side began to fade until it was completely gone. The lips disconnected from her and retracted back to its host face and smiled. "Thankfully your little treatment helped with my care. Only the bones themselves needed healing. It may feel irritated for a day or so, but you will be fine."

Katara pressed her hand into the previously injured spot, feeling a slight sensitivity but nothing more than a standard side ache. She took a very deep breath, and was amazed to not roll over in pain. "Wow, that is amazing." She suddenly felt her eyelids grow heavy, and her body swayed slightly. "Woah… I, what just happened.

"Not to worry, your body simply feels tired from healing. just take some of these…" The healing teacher held her hand out and displayed several treats. "These energy gummies will get your energy back."

"Um, okay…" Katara reached and grabbed the candies from her. "Thank you." She popped them in her mouth and chewed them, enjoying the strawberry flavoring. The moment she swallowed them, her eyes widened from the sudden rush that flowed through her. Now, she felt fully awake and not tired in the least. "How many amazing things do they have in this place?"

She turned to the others in the room, and couldn't help but smirk at the annoyed look on Aizawa's face as Recovery Girls lips were latched onto him. She now watched in amazement as his broken arm shifted in place, rearranging itself until it had straightened back to normal. As the glowing subsided, the teacher still grunted in pain from the immense bruising on his limb. Recovery girls lips retracted and she brought out a roll of medical tape, reaching up and bandaging his arm up.

"You sure took quite the hit there, sir. Your bones are nearly healed, but you will have to take it easy for a week or so." the healer said.

Aizawa gave an irritated sigh but nodded. "Thanks. What about everyone else, how are they doing?"

"Well, most of the students are fine other than some minor scratches. Thirteen took some bad lacerations to her back, so she will be down for a few days. Luckily nothing life threatening, however. All Might also took quite a bit of damage, but he as well will be fine."

"Ma'am, what about Midoriya?" Katara worryingly asked.

"Ah don't worry about him, miss. I already gave him a treatment. He broke his legs and multiple fingers, but he will make a full recovery as well."

Hearing that, Katara sighed happily and leaned back into her pillow. Aizawa also felt some relief hearing the news, nodding to the elder faculty member. "Thank you. You can leave us for now. There are things I must discuss with my student."

Katara's breath caught in her throat at his words, looking over to her teacher as his eyes met hers. Seeing the sudden change in the air, Recovery Girl nodded and went to the door. "I must get back to Midoriya and see his progress. You take care, alright?"

After the elder woman shut the door behind her, leaving the two in the room in silence. Katara stared at Aizawa for what felt like a few minutes before she rubbed her head awkwardly. "So I assume you want to-

"I have had many students in my years here, Katara. I can tell when someone is hiding something…" he said as he sat up in his bed. "… and it seems you have a lot of things you've kept from everyone."

Turning to look out of the window, Katara stared to the slowly setting sun in the distance as she pondered what to say. For the last four months she had been living here with few hiccups, and now in only a few days of class it seemed every single person she met now knew something about her. She sighed and took a breath, figuring at this point it was pointless to hide her healing powers from him.

"My healing powers are an ability that sometimes appear in the water users from where I'm from. Using our own energy, we can convert it through the water we manipulate and can heal yourself or others." She told him, earning a raised eyebrow from the teacher.

"And you tried hiding this ability for what reason may I ask?"

"It's because it isn't like the quirks here, sir…" She told him, hoping she could end the prying at this point. "… Where I'm from, it's a rarity to have this power, and it felt like it would here too if I started showing multiple abilities."

"Where you are from…" Aizawa mumbled out loud, rubbing his side as he shifted in the bed. "… Where may that be, Katara? From what I can tell, that is another mystery as well."

' _Damn it…'_ Katara hissed internally as she swallowed the lump in her throat. His gaze stayed locked on her as he continued speaking.

"There is no record of you living in Japan before a few months ago. Even on your registration papers it doesn't truly give a home from where you came from. The only reason it wasn't rejected outright was a signature of verification that came with it when it came through application."

She tilted her head in confusion. "verification?"

"It is when a high ranked pro gives their own personal vow of authenticity for the applicant… meaning they have full trust in you."

"you mean…" Katara looked down as she thought of the one person who she met the night she arrived here in this world. The one person who opened up his home to her, and believed in who she could become.

"It seems Ingenium knows who you really are, and still he has put his trust into you…" Aizawa answered. "… but if you want my trust, then you have to tell me who you are as well."

Looking to the ground, Katara realized that trying to fib her way around Aizawa wasn't going to work this time. Knowing she couldn't deny it, she simply nodded her head and stood up from the bed and walked to the window. She breathed in deep and rubbed her arm as she stared to the orange sky.

"I did come from a small village far from here, but its not a place you have ever heard of… its not a place anywhere near… this world." She squeezed her arm as old memories began resurfacing. "I come from a place where there aren't quirks like yours or All Mights. There are only element wielders."

Aizawa sat completely confused as to what she was saying, but sat quiet wanting to hear what she was going to try and say.

"There is only water, fire, earth and air, called bending. I am a waterbender." Katara turned and saw the glass of water by her bed, waving her hand and drawing the liquid up into her hand. "I control water and manipulate it however I want."

"And what you are doing isn't a quirk I can tell." Aizawa said.

Katara raised and eyebrow and turned around. "How can you tell this isn't a-

Her words fell silent from her tongue as she saw the raised hair and glowing red eyes staring directly at her, and the water had not fallen to the ground.

"Because if it was, the ground would be wet at this moment."

Katara felt her heart race jump as she watched him stand up from the bed and slowly walked towards her, his glowing eyes still staring at her like a hungry wolf stalking its prey. She now was worried perhaps he was the wrong person to learn her truth.

"You are truly full of surprises aren't you?" He said as his hair dropped back down with his blink, opening up and sighing. "But perhaps this is a good one for me."

Now that was an answer the waterbender was not expecting, looking up to him in a mix of confusion and shock. "Wh-what?"

"Under normal circumstances I would have expelled you the moment I found you you had been lying to me about who you were and why you were here. Perhaps you had some secret agenda that you were trying to accomplish. But what I saw today made me question myself for the first time since I've taught here." He paused and rubbed his hand across his broken arm. "If you had not jumped in there to help me back there, I probably would not be sitting here talking to you. You risked your own life to save me and the others today, and no person hiding something bad would ever have done something so reckless."

Hearing those words brought a feeling similar to what she felt from Tensei the day she arrived here. She stayed silent as Aizawa brought his hand up and gripped her shoulder. "I don't fully understand what's going on, and I for certain want everything soon. But for now… I want to say thank you for today. It's been sometime since I've seen bravery like that."

Looking down, Katara simply nodded and rubbed her arm. "I just couldn't sit there and see you get hurt. I'm glad you made it out, sir."

Removing his hand, Aizawa rubbed his own head and grunted. "I feel like I should go to the principle about this… but then that would just add to my headache right now. I'm not in the mood for that."

"Wait, you aren't going to report me to the school?" Katara questioned, earning a glare from the teacher.

"Let's just keep this part of your story between us. Your healing abilities however, the others have seen so good luck on that one. You're on your own."

Katara chuckled at his response. "Yeah, I'll come forward and tell them all. I promise."

The door suddenly burst open startling both of them from their talk. Katara looked passed him and was shocked to see who it was. "Tensei?"

The turbo hero came running up with panic in his eyes. "Katara, I heard about what happened! Are you alright?"

Katara gave a small nod. "Y-yeah, I am. I just-

"I heard you were injured from the teachers, what did they do to you?" Tensei's eyes then saw the tear on her side, his hands reaching out and gripping her shoulders. "Tell me what happened."

"It's okay Iida, I'm alright. "Katara tried reassuring him. "They already healed me. I'll be okay."

Huffing out, his eyes went to Aizawa and glared. "How did you let this happen? They told me the villains attacked you on campus."

"Don't try and put this on me, Ingenium…" Aizawa retorted. "… the group that ambushed us had-

"My brother and Katara were attacked today, and I want to know how this happened under your watch…" Tensei's adrenaline was beyond staying calm. "… how am I supposed to just-

Katara's arms reaching forward and embracing Tensei's body silenced his words. He looked down and saw her hugging his chest, the warm gesture calming his temper and bringing a smile to his face. He reached around her and embracing her back. Katara sat for a minute in his arms, a small smile on her as she laid her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I just… when I heard what happened I became really worried." Tensei answered.

"It's okay…" Katara leaned back and smiled up to him. "… did you see your brother yet?"

"Yes, I saw him outside. He told me you got injured so I began fearing the worst." Tensei turned to Aizawa and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Erasure. I shouldn't have put the blame on you."

Aizawa nodded in return. "Noted. I understand your concern, though. This was beyond any of our understanding how they got in. The other staff members including All Might were injured too, but will be fine."

Hearing the fact All Might was also injured caused Tensei's eyes to widen in surprise. If the strongest hero was injured in this attack it meant this was more serious than he thought. "What were they after, the students?"

"It may seem surprising, but All Might was their target." Aizawa said, walking back over and sitting on his bed once more. "It is also surprising how good of a fighter Katara is."

Katara felt Tensei's eyes lock on her once again, simply shrugging her shoulders to his stare. He grunted and rubbed his forehead and chuckled. "You really do have a headstrong way of things, don't you?"

"That's not the only thing I hear about her."

Tensei's hand dropped and he looked to Aizawa after that comment, his mind going back to the email he received that morning. He turned to Katara, her calm gaze telling him everything he needed to know. "So, I guess you…"

"Yes, he knows about me now." Katara finished his statement.

"To tell you the truth I was completely off from my original hypothesis…" Aizawa bluntly responded and scratched his chin. "… I didn't expect this situation to be the case, however."

The turbo hero just stayed in silence for a few moments as he tried processing the situation. He had always assumed a few people would eventually have to learn the truth about her, but he didn't think it was going to happen this fast already. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So that message this morning was for this?"

Katara raised an eyebrow to his comment. "What message?"

"Katara, there are things I wish to discuss with him at the moment…" Aizawa cut her off, "… You are free to go and join the others now."

While she wanted to figure out what he meant, Katara felt grateful to the fact she wasn't being brought in that very moment for him learning the truth. She looked to Tensei one more time and nodded, walking passed him and opening the door to the hall.

"Katara…"

She paused and turned to her teachers call, receiving a small nod from him as he continued. "… thank you."

She smiled and bowed before leaving, shutting the door behind her giving the two privacy once more. Tensei huffed out and took a seat on the empty bed facing the teacher. "So, I guess this clears up the questions you had, I assume."

"Oh I have plenty more to ask…" Aizawa grunted, flipping his body around and laying back down. "… but I think I'll keep these questions between us."

Tensei gave a shocked look at the statement. "What? You aren't going to the school or authorities about this?"

"It's crossed my mind. Having an inter dimensional student wasn't what I signed up for when I became a teacher here. But… that girl there saved my life. She displayed enough for me to give her a second chance. So those questions I had for you can wait for another time."

Hearing the sudden change was not what Tensei had ever expected when he was on his way here. He had planned for a long interrogation into his new house guest, but then the moment he arrived he was told of the situation that had taken hold at the school. This was certainly not the way he had planned his day was going to end up being. He looked around to the window as he took a deep breath. "So the villains who orchestrated this attack, did you catch them?"

Aizawa sighed out in disappointment, "Unfortunately no. Their leader managed to escape, but with the damage he sustained he could be out for some time hopefully."

"Still, to try and attack UA in such a bold way with All Might. We are not dealing with some random criminal."

"Perhaps, but they made one fatal mistake today."

Tensei turned back to Aizawa and grinned. "They didn't bring enough men?"

"No…" Aizawa stared up at the ceiling, the smallest of smirks forming on his mouth. "… They underestimated the students here."

"What do you mean?" Tensei asked.

"In my time teaching here, this is by far the strongest class I've had. In just their first week they have already fought and overcome a true villain attack, but that may be the greatest mistake those villains did. Now, those kids have tasted true fear, and will push themselves harder to not fall to it again. In time… this moment will come to shape how these kids will become the next generation of heroes."

Not able to argue with those words, Tensei turned back around and stared outside to the sky. He grinned as he thought of his brother and his new house guest, his mind already imagining what they could accomplish in the future.

* * *

Slowly making her way down the halls of the empty school, Katara turned the corner and was surprised to when the rest of her class nearly walked right into her. The first to see her was Mina, the pink girl screaming out in excitement.

"Oh my gosh, Katara! I'm so glad you are okay!"

Yaoyorozu's face lit up in a big smile when she saw her as well. "Katara! I heard from the police you were injured, but I'm glad to see you as well."

"Woah, didn't think she'd be out already." Kirishima happily said.

"What happened to you!? Did that crazy monster get you?" Uraraka yelled out in panic.

Blushing to the wave of excitement, Katara waved her hands to try and calm them down, which didn't matter since Tenya chopped the air in front of them all to halt them. "All of you, calm your questions! She is overwhelmed with so many of you bombarding her."

Katara rubbed her head and chuckled. "I'm okay, don't worry. thank you everyone."

Tokoyami walked through the group to the front next to Tenya. "Apologies, they heard you were involved in the battle with that monster from us."

"How bad were you hurt?" Tsu asked her, her big eyes widened with worry."

Rubbing her side, Katara grunted to the irritation but tried ignoring it. "It broke several of my ribs, but I'm alright. They already treated me so it won't be long until I am all healed."

Yaoyorozu covered her mouth hearing that. "Oh my god… I'm really sorry. They already treated your injuries from that?"

"Jeez, sounds like a much rougher time than our spot we dealt with." Kaminari added, earning a laugh from Jiro.

"How would you know, you were babbling the whole time." Jiro giggled out.

"No I wasn't! That was at the end!" Kaminari yelled out, his face turning red to everyone else's laughter.

Katara didn't know what they were talking about, but she smiled seeing everyone happy after what had happened. She looked over to Tokoyami and remembered what happened to his other half. "How is Dark Shadow? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is." Tokoyami said as his shadow bird poked its head out and put its fists up.

 _"I was taking it easy on that thing. I coulda handled it all by myself!"_ Dark shadow hissed out, making Katara raise her eyebrow and smirk.

"Oh I know you were holding back. You are so nice to let us fight it." She joked, watching the shadow blush.

"You should have heard him whining inside afterward..." Tokoyami grinned as he retracted his quirk. "I don't even think your healing would have made him feel better."

"Wait, healing?" Sero suddenly asked, "What healing?"

Katara's smile fell when she got several questioning eyes looking at her. She looked to Tsu and Tokoyami, as well as yaoyorozu in the group who knew the truth at this point, and figured not keep this part hidden any longer. Rubbing her head, she exhaled and looked to the group.

"Well, I may not have been fully honest in the beginning. You see-

"You can heal with your water quirk as well." Todoroki quickly answered from the back, causing Katara to freeze in place for a moment. The entire class was silent as they looked back and forth between the two of them. The straight look on his face meant he was for certain with his guess. She looked to Yaoyorozu, the creationist giving a small shake of her hands.

"I didn't say anything about this to anyone." Momo said out.

"Wait, you knew about this?" Jiro asked her, earning a shrug from her taller friend.

"I mean it was kind of obvious that day during training." Yaoyorozu shrugged.

"Yeah, no shit it was obvious." Bakugo growled out in annoyance from his spot, his arms crossed in frustration being stuck at school still.

Kirishima looked back to bakugo in confusion. "Wait, how could you tell? She had said she used freezing the cut to-

"Oh come on you idiot! That's not how freezing works! All you dumbasses should have seen that a mile away!" Bakugo screamed out.

Now this was certainly not how she expected her reveal to be like. It seemed like she wasn't so secretive after all. "Uh, yeah. Like they said, I can heal with my water as well."

The class stared at her for several seconds before Mina whistled quietly. "You sure are always surprising us."

Katara exhaled and began her explanation. "Its a power that is passed on sometimes from where I come from. You use your own energy to heal injuries on yourself and others. I... didn't mention it before since it is unlike the quirks you have here, so I didn't know how you would all think of it."

Walking forward Tenya placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Katara, you do not need to worry about what we think. Having multiple powers is something that is rare and does confuse some people, but we are there for you."

Hearing his words brought her own smile up, looking around to the others beginning to come up to her. Now this she really didn't expect.

"So you have, like, two quirks or something? Thats not fair!" Mineta pouted and looked away.

"Damn, it seems Todoroki isn't the only double power user here." Kaminari smirked.

"Now that I know what that was you did, thats even more badass." Kirishima laughed and gave a thumbs up.

As the others all talked about her newly admitted power, todoroki looked down to his left hand, memories of a crying woman replaying in his mind. He grunted and looked back up to Katara, knowing full well of not wanting to display all of his powers. He did not know it now, but they had much more in common than he could ever have imagined. And soon it would all come to light.

**notes: well we have completed the season 1 storyline. Its been an interesting and fun journey so far. So not only is her healing in the open, we have one more who know her true origins! Will be going more in depth to the reveals soon. But for now, they have won their first battle.**

**I am actually surprised how long this portion of the story so far turned out. I hope the pacing has been good and cant wait to get to season 2. Till next time!**


	18. Upcoming Challenge

_The sky was glowing red.. The light breeze rustled the trees around Katara. She looked around as the leaves blew through the air, seeing she was now in what seemed like a large forest._

" _What is this place?"_

_She looked down at her water tribe robes, her mind reeling why she was here. She walked through the trees until she came to an open_ _fiel_ _d, noticing a single person standing there alone. His dark hair rustled in the wind, but when her eyes met a certain person standing there, it felt as though her heart stopped beating._

" _Zuko?"_

_There he was,_ _one of her friends that she had not seen in so long. His golden eyes stared at her like they always had, along with the trademark scar that covered his face_ _was something she had missed seeing so much. Her stomach swelled with excitement as he smiled towards her, his hand outstretched for her to grab._

" _Hello Katara." he quietly said to her._

" _Zuko…_ _" her own smile spread across her face as she ran out from the tree line. "I can't believe it's you! How did you get here? Is everyone else with-_

_B_ _efore she got to him, Zuko suddenly screamed out in agony. Katara froze mid step as she watched in shock to him thrashing about, then to a hand gripping the back of his neck. "Zuko, there's someone behind you! Get awa_ _y!"_

_Her words were useless as she watched his skin crumbling away, crawling down his body and up his neck towards his face. Katara stared in horror as her friend slowly dissolved away, the firebender's body crackling and breaking up in a sickening pattern. She wanted to run and help him, but for some reason her feet were stuck to the ground, unable to take a step forward._ _She was only able to see his face laced with fear, calling out for her to come._ _Her eyes watered as the helpless feeling crept over her heart, watching him slowly fade into nothing more than a pile of dust blowing in the wind._

" _Zuko…" she cried out, her hand reaching towards the pieces of him floating away. As the remains of her friend blew through the air, she was then mortified to see the culprit of his demise standing there, his sickly face covered by a severed hand. "N-no…"_

_Shigaraki laughed as he watched her cry before him, brushing off the dust that stuck to his shirt. "Oh, it seems you were unable to save your friend, girl. So much of a hero you are. Now, I will kill you this time, and no one is here to stop me now!"_

_Katara's body was frozen as Shigaraki ran towards her, his grotesque hand reaching straight towards her face. All she could do was scream._

* * *

"Katara! Wake up!"

"Get away!" Katara thrashed at the sudden presence she sensed, throwing her arms out to keep them back. As she did however she felt a set of hands grabbing her wrists, her body reacting on instinct and pulling back. She grunted as she tried breaking free, her eyes shooting open fearing to be the worst, but she was instead met with the familiar face she had grown close to. She looked around and found herself in her room, realizing what she had just experienced. Her resistance faded, the grip holding her also letting off as she looked up to the mans worried face.

"I-Iida, I'm sorry." she stuttered out as her breathing slowed. She sat up and rubbed her head, grimacing at the sweat collecting on her hand.

"Katara, what happened? I heard you screaming out just now." Tensei said, his eyes filled with worry.

She looked away in shame, afraid she had woken him up. "I'm sorry, it's just… I had a strange dream just now."

"You mean a nightmare…" he grunted, "...You were thrashing and yelling out. What happened?"

She kept her eyes away from him as she subconsciously touched the side of her previous injury, the action catching Tensei's eyes. He looked down as she rubbed her side then back up to her avoiding eyes. "Was it about the attack?"

She sighed and rolled to the side of the bed, looking up to the wall as she tried to avoid eye contact. "Somewhat. I saw the one who led the attack. And... I saw… someone from my past."

Tensei could see the uneasiness in her posture, not wanting to press too hard but not ready to drop the topic. "Your friend… Zuko?"

Katara's eyes shot open at the mention of his name. She turned towards Tensei as he solemnly looked at her, his eyes filled with sorrow for the troubled girl. She took a deep breath and rubbed her arm. "So I was talking out loud."

"Katara, if you don't want to talk about it you don't-

"It felt so real.…" her fists clenched as the images of the fake reunion played in her mind. "… I really thought he was there. He was one of my best friends back where I came from. Someone I thought I had lost was now standing there before me. I felt happy… but then he was killed right in front of me, and I didn't do anything."

Katara stood up from the bed and walked over to the window as her emotions began building. She stared out to the slowly rising sun as her mind spun over itself in a mix of anger and frustration. Tensei was surprised to hear something of her home world brought up again. During the first two months, they both had searched over countless times to things that could have any connection to her world, yet after many nights of failed searches, she had nearly lost hope and began to give up on the search. Several sleepless nights tormented the misplaced bender as her mind began to slowly take in the fact she may not find a way home as soon as she thought. Then, everything changed once she chose to enroll at UA.

Following in what was the regular life in this world, Katara began to seemingly accept where she was and what this place had to offer. And since she was used to helping others and needed a license to do that (Something that still truly annoyed her) she chose to join the school with her new friend. The first week had already been so interesting for her, meeting new friends and learning so many new things about this world she was in now. When the villains came however, the feeling had changed.

After the USJ attack the school had decided to close the next day to give the students some time to rest after the ordeal and to go over the campus security. To many of the students it was a way to collect themselves and to sleep off the anxiety they felt from a real attack. For Katara, it was different. Far different from the others. She had been through a real war where she came from, battled against benders that would have laughed at the sight of most of those "villains" that tried attacking her and Tokoyami. What bothered her was what happened in the end. The Nomu brought back memories of the time she was surrounded in Ba Sing Se, outnumbered and outmatched with no place to go. The fear of being defeated was not even what was bothering her. Hell, the fear of death isn't what was eating away at the waterbender. It was the fact she couldn't do anything to stop it from hurting those around her.

She was helpless, just like when she watched two different friends struck by lightning right in front of her.

She had already voiced her frustration with her host yesterday, so he knew exactly what was bothering her. He huffed out and walked towards the door. "Even though they are opening back up today, I can call the school and tell them you need another day to rest."

"No…" she called out making him stop. She inhaled deeply and turned to face him. "… If I just sit around and sulk I won't feel any better. It will be good to go back. I can clear my head there."

"Are you sure?" Tensei asked, receiving a nod from the waterbender. He sighed and gave a small smile. "Alright, since we are both up I'll make some breakfast."

Before he walked out, Katara called out one more time. "Iida?"

He paused and looked back at her. "Yes?"

She gave a small smile up towards him. "Thank you… for everything."

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

After the door shut, Katara sighed and walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped into the water and relished the warm feeling pouring down on her. She sat for a few minutes not moving, letting the streaming water rain down on her face as her mind began stirring awake. Letting out a satisfied moan as she washed her hair, Katara did the best she could to move on and forget what happened. But while she tried, it was pretty hard to ignore what she saw. The dream felt so real compared to the others she had experienced, and it was the first time she had had a dream mixed between her old home and this new place. She took several breaths and rinsed out her hair, scratching her scalp for the pleasure and to distract her mind.

After shutting off the water, she waved her hands several times in front of her body and bended the thousands of drops that covered her body. she wasn't in the mood to use the normal comforting feeling of a towel this morning, preferring just to be finished quick and be done with it. before she sent the water down the shower drain however, she held it in the air and stared intently at the dancing liquid. While she and Tensei had looked for connections to her world and came up with nothing, there was one thing that had began to eat at her sometime before. The one thing that she could never figure out to how it was possible and yet she was doing it everyday that she had lived here in this new and foreign place.

Her waterbending was still active.

Waterbenders drew their power from the moon, which in itself is controlled by the life of the moon spirit. Back when she was at the north pole in her world, she remembered when the original moon spirit was killed, she and everyone else lost their ability to waterbend. It wasn't until her friend and brother's first crush Yue gave her life to become the new moon spirit did their powers become restored. And yet... that was not the case of this world. This place did not have a moon spirit. In fact she had learned people had actually gone and walked on the moon! So her bending should have vanished the moment she arrived here. Instead, she still could, and at night she felt the similar feeling of the moon increasing her bending.

"So why can I still do this?" she whispered to herself, annoyed she didn't have an answer.

Sighing, she allowed the water to fall into the tub and leaned onto the counter. She stared at herself for a few more seconds before she shook her head, clearing her thoughts of that question. She would figure it out sometime, but now, she just wanted to get back to her new friends.

* * *

being dropped off to the school by Madoka (Tenya's mother was adamant on taking them at least for the day) Katara and Tenya had made it to their class door, but not without noticing the strange amount of stares they were receiving from the other students inside the building.

"Did we do something wrong?" Katara questioned as she looked around seeing the many eyes locked on the two of them.

"I believe its the fact word spread of the fact we were attacked by real villains the other day." Tenya answered, "They aren't sure as what to say about the matter since it has never happened here before."

Katara sighed and turned to the door, "It's not like we asked for it to happen."

She pulled at the handle and slid it open, revealing most of the others were already inside. Mina immediately lit up as she looked over. "Oh hey! Look who's back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Katara said with a smile. Her hand subconsciously went to her side, glad the pain was gone now.

"It's awesome that you are back already. Its crazy how they can heal so fast here at this school." Toru commented.

"I think it's part of you being so bad ass why you are fine. Seems like nothing can stop you." Kirishima chuckled, earning a giggle from Katara.

"Thanks, but It's not like I just walked out without a scratch." She said with a small sigh in the end.

"Oh don't get down on yourself, I heard from Tsu you were amazing back there." Jiro added with a grin.

Smiling, Katara made her way towards her seat in the back, receiving a nod from Tokoyami as she passed. "I'm glad you are alright, Katara. That was quite the day for us." he quietly said while she was by him.

She huffed out and rubbed her head. "Yeah, you can say that again." Reaching her seat, she set her bag to the side and sat back in the chair. She looked over at Uraraka next to her and laughed. "Talk about a crazy week here, huh?"

"I know, this is not what I expected…" Uraraka laughed sheepishly and scratched her head. "… We did much more than I ever thought we would do."

"We did both fake battles and real ones. I don't think anyone really planned that." Katara leaned back in her chair and sighed. _'I wasn't planning it for sure.'_ she moaned internally.

Uraraka just smiled at her. "Well hopefully it's all over now. We can now just- Deku!"

Caught off guard by the sudden yell from the burnette, Katara followed where she was looking and smiled as well to who just walked in. "Midoriya, glad to see you are all good."

"Uhh y-yeah, all good now!" Midoriya happily stuttered out as he walked towards his seat. Even though they did see him the night of the attack, it still was refreshing to know he was back to normal since he was injured the worst.

Glad to see him okay, Katara turned to look as the door opened to the final student to arrive. To her surprise it was Todoroki, since she had noticed he was always here before she was everyday. His blank face stared forward as it always did as he made his way through the row and to his seat next to hers. He glanced over for only a moment towards her before diverting his eyes away again. "So it seems you are fully recovered now." he quietly stated.

She raised her eyebrow curiously at his statement, but somewhat happy he was showing some concern. "Yes I am. thanks for asking."

He didn't even turn to look at her as he responded. "I wasn't asking. I was stating what I saw. There is a difference."

Katara's eye twitched at the snarky remark. "Okay, do you simply have no social skills or are you just always this much of a-

"Alright everyone, quiet and get in your seats."

Katara puffed her cheeks out in annoyance of being cut off, turning away from the cold teen next to her and to the front to see Aizawa walk into the classroom, his forehead bandaged up and his right arm still in a sling. Other than that he seemed to be back to normal, nothing else too serious.

"Good morning, sir." the class said in unison.

"I'm glad to see you are out of the hospital, sensei." Tsu croaked out.

"Yeah, I heard you got pretty banged up the other day." Kaminari chimed in, earning a grunt from their teacher.

"I am fine, don't be concerned about me…" Aizawa mumbled as he walked to his desk in the front of the class. "… what you should know is that your fight isn't over yet."

Katara tensed up at his words. _'What? Are the attacks not over?'_ she heard the other students whispering out loud in shock as well, all of them fearing the same as her.

…

…

...

"The UA sports festival is about to start."

"What a troll, Sensei! You can't scare us like that!" Mineta cried out from his seat.

The other students sighed in relief seeing it wasn't another attack, their excitement building up as they realized what was coming.

"Ah man, I can't wait for this!" Kirishima clenched his fists and grinned. "I've always wanted to compete in these games!"

"Wow, I have watched these every year, and now I'm actually going to be in them!?" Mina cheered in glee.

While many in the class were displaying their enthusiasm, Katara was left with a confused look on her face. "The sports festival?" she whispered to herself.

"While some of you may question this after having the attack two days ago, the administration here believes this is the best way to show that the threat to the school has been handled. In addition to that, they are increasing the security compared to previous years to guarantee the safety of everyone here. This is not something to cancel on short notice."

Aizawa noticed the lost look on Katara's face in the back of the room, sighing internally as he continued. _'She really doesn't know about this either. What a pain... guess I'll help her understand.'_

"As you all know, the sports festival is the competition held every year here at UA. All students compete against others in several events. You are not just competing against your classmates, but all of the other classes in your year. You will be challenged in two different preliminary events and whoever makes it passed that will compete in the final event. This is the chance for all of you to show what you have to impress the pros across the country. This is when you can get the opportunity to be offered internships to any agency that takes interest in you."

Katara could only sit silent in surprise from the perfect timed explanation to her confusion, catching a quick glance from her teacher before he continued. _'Wow, nice save there.'_ she thanked him internally.

"The UA sports festival is one of the most viewed events in the world, the best chance for any person to showcase their talent to the rest of Japan. For all of you aspiring heroes, this is not an event to be missed."

Now that she got an idea of what was they were talking about, Katara sat back and looked over as everyone now had a new look of determination in their gaze. She could tell this competition was something they took very seriously and used as the chance to get further towards their goal of being heroes. And the fact of being in a competition against her other classmates brought a smile to the waterbender's face. This was the perfect chance for her to blow off some steam and clear that cloud of doubt over her head. Not to mention she wasn't the only one thinking of the same thing.

Todoroki glanced out of the corner of his eye to the girl to his right, memories of those nights his father yelling out in anger from down the hall. He clenched his fist in frustration, thinking back to a white haired woman crying night after night. He closed his eyes to go back in his mind, remembering the few times she wasn't and holding him close, and a smile on her face.

' _I'll win this thing to get back at him. I'll do it with just her power.'_

* * *

"Wait, are you serious!?"

Izuku Midoriya sat in shock across from All Might in the private teachers lounge. When he was asked to join him for lunch, he assumed it was to ask how he was doing after the attack. What he didn't expect was the horrible news he was just given.

The top hero sat in his deflated state and nodded solemnly. "Yes. It seems my time has been reduced that I can hold my form now. The fight with that Nomu took quite a bit out of me."

The new One for All inheritor felt a lump in his throat from the revelation. He knew All Might was down to his last few minutes during that battle, and forcing himself in such a harsh fight obviously made it worse. "H-How much time are you down to?" he asked.

All Might sighed as he grabbed his side. "Right now? It seems my limit has been cut in half. The time in my hero form is down to around an hour and twenty minutes."

Izuku gasped at that. "But All Might, if t-there's a way to build your strength back and-

"Come on, I appreciate it but don't start getting ideas in your head now…" All Might huffed out and sat back in the sofa. "… My body is already being strained from the damage I have sustained in the years since my injury. On top of that, when I passed on-

All Might stopped himself from finishing that statement, glad to see his apprentice had been staring at the ground in disappointment and hadn't really paid attention to his last few words. He exhaled in frustration to the truth he always knew was going to happen eventually, the truth he didn't want to tell yet.

' _If he knows my power will completely disappear soon, it will eat away at his mind too much for his training. I can't tell him that yet.'_

Wanting to brighten the mood, the hero put on a smile and patted his knee. "I actually should be thanking you all, Midoriya."

Izuku looked up in surprise to the statement. "Really?"

"Of course. If you hadn't jumped in at the end, I would have had to engage them once again. In my condition I may have been exposed if I moved. And if Aizawa hadn't used his quirk on that Nomu, it would have been a lot worse for me too." All Might then thought back to that glowing water around the teachers head, and the one controlling that water.

"Even Young Katara was very brave and helped with her healing quirk. She is quite the young hero as well." All Might said with a smile.

Midoriya blushed slightly and chuckled. "Y-yeah, she's a good friend too. She has been really nice and supportive."

Seeing the young boy smile like that brought a warm feeling to the blonde hero. He had watched the lonely boy he trained getting friends that he was always lacking. He also felt a slight sense of guilt he had to Katara. He had hoped her secrecy to her powers weren't anything serious, but he also had a nagging feeling there was something to be worried for. the fact she risked her life to help everyone that day at the USJ, including his own was enough to prove him wrong.

"I heard from Aizawa she has fully come open about her healing ability with her quirk. That is good she doesn't need to keep secrets anymore from all of you."

Midoriya's face slightly burned as he thought back to the secret he promised to Katara about her night in Hosu. While not happy lying to All Might, he didn't want to break her trust. He faked chuckled and rubbed his arm.

"Yeah it is good she is open to all of us she is very nice and kind and always thinks of others when in school or when we fought the Nomu and to use her powers the way she did is really impressive with both water and ice its quite incredible not to mention how she can heal with it is so amazing that is something along with her offensive abilities will make her very popular with pros who are looking for interns so this festival will be great for her no doubt she will get lots of offers especially with her being a girl since strong female heroes are very popular with fans most pros will know that as well so the demand will for sure go up because of that and-

"BLEH! God kid, the word vomit that comes out of you is crazy!" All Might groaned as he wiped the coughed up blood from his mouth. He sighed seeing the embarrassed look on Midoriya, huffing out at the kids habit of mumbling on. "Anyway, you are right, the sports festival is the time to display to the world who you are and what you can do. It is going to be tough since you can't fully control One for All yet."

"But All Might, I did control it actually! When I hit the Nomu my arm didn't break!" Izuku looked down at his hand and clenched it. "This was the first time that I had ever tried using this power against a person."

"Well that certainly is interesting…" the hero rubbed his chin to the news. "… perhaps you subconsciously held back since you didn't truly want to hurt them. That is very important though, it means progress is being made. With the changing times you will need every bit of that we can get."

"What?" Midoriya questioned as his mentor walked over to the window, the hero staring out to the city in the distance.

"My time as the number one hero and symbol of peace is going to have to end soon. The villains across the country are noticing it as well. With me being more inactive the crime rate has been increasing, not to mention the fact the attack the other day shows how brave they are becoming. But this is where you have to take it to the next level, Midoriya."

All Might turned back to the silent student, the young boy swallowing the lump in his throat as the hero continued.

"You will show the world who you are on this stage. Declare to everyone who you are and to say to every face watching you… I am here!"

* * *

After class was over for the day, Class 1-A gathered up there things and prepared to leave back home. Mina picked her bag up and slid the door open, only to stop and look out in confusion.

"Okay… what's happening here?" the pink girl asked out loud.

Katara looked passed her classmates to the large gathering of students standing outside of their classroom. They were all other first years from other classes, and they were all staring into their class intently. She raised an eyebrow to the mix of amazement and glares she and the others were receiving. "What is all this?"

"Excuse me, do you have business with our class?" Tenya sternly asked, confused with all the commotion as well.

"They are scouting out the competition, four eyes." Bakugo grunted as he walked passed the annoyed Iida. "These kids know we survived a real villain attack, and they want to see how we appear."

The explosion user walked up to the kids outside their door and snickered at their expressions. "Just so you losers know, this is what a future pro looks like. So why don't you move out of the way, you extras."

"Bakugo, your behavior is causing tension among the others here!" Tenya scolded as he chopped furiously at the air.

Katara's eye twitched to the arrogance of her classmate, walking up and grabbing his shoulder. "Are you always this much of a jerk, or do you not even realize it?"

Bakugo glared back to the sudden touch, shrugging her off and flipping back to her. "Get your hand off me, hair loops. I don't need your shit today."

"Oh yeah? When does anyone ever need yours?" Katara glared back at him, causing the ash blondes mouth to curl back in anger.

"What's it matter to you? This shit doesn't affect you."

"It makes our class look bad, and as the class rep I don't approve of that." she snapped back at him.

Bakugo scoffed out at the statement. "The hell you going on about now with that? Who cares about that stupid title?"

Rolling her eyes, Katara walked passed the angry bomber and gave a small chuckle. "It seems you care about it more than anyone when you weren't picked."

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!?" Bakugo grinded his teeth as he watched the tanned girl pass by him.

The other 1-A students sat back in surprise to the sudden leadership call out from Katara. Momo couldn't help but smile to the stern gaze in her friends eyes and the irritated look on Bakugo's face. _'_ _Damn, Jiro did say she's got a fire inside her.'_ the creationist whispered internally.

Stopping in front of the herd of students outside their class, Katara smiled and gave a small bow. "Sorry about that from my classmate. We aren't all like him."

"Oh is that so, huh?"

Katara's smile fell when a blonde haired blue eyed boy walked through the group and came face to face with her. The smug look he wore gave her enough to tell he was not here to say hi.

"Some of us from class 1-B next door have heard quite a bit from you students since school started this year. It's not enough you all skipped the entrance ceremony unlike everyone else, you ended up fighting real villains too." the newcomer scoffed towards her. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were trying to cause trouble already for us others here."

"Excuse me?" Katara glared and crossed her arms. "How is the villains attacking our fault?"

"Oh of course I do not mean that! Ah where are my manners. Neito Monoma, a pleasure to meet you here." Monoma sarcastically bowed and held his hand out for her to grab, smirking when she didn't shake. "You class 1-A people believe that none of us other classes matter compared to you, but we all are equals, won't you agree?"

"I never said that we think our class is better." Katara responded, causing Monoma to suddenly burst out laughing hysterically.

"Oh class 1-A is always the arrogant class of the school! It is tradition the ones who think they are too good for their own britches end up here! I also hear that the sports festival is the perfect time to give you all a slap of reality and-

Whack!

Katara's eyes widened as Monoma suddenly collapsed from the chop to the back of his head. She looked up to the culprit and was met with a red headed girl with a single pony tail on the left side of her head. The teen sighed and smiled up to the waterbender.

"Sorry about him. Like you said about your class, he doesn't represent all of us in class 1-B."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it…" Katara said, suddenly remembering this girls face. "… Wait, I remember you from the entrance exam."

Smiling, the red head nodded. "Itsuka Kendo, And I remember you, too. You were quite the sight back back at the entrance exam."

"Thanks. You did well too back there as I recalled." Katara smiled.

"I appreciate it, although you did steal most of the thunder from most of the other students." Kendo said with a smirk.

Katara perked her eyebrow up from the statement. "And I thought you weren't-

"Oh I'm not mad. I think it's pretty cool what you did back there..." Kendo waved her hands to the look she received. "… in fact I still owe you for the assist back then."

Thinking back, Katara grinned as she remembered the save she did to the other teen. "Yes, I remember now."

"Hey kendo, don't be friendly with the enemy! They all think they are better than us!" a shaggy gray haired teen with strange jagged eyebrows yelled out from the back.

Rolling her eyes, Kendo turned back and frowned at her classmate. "Calm down, TetsuTetsu. We aren't here to fight." She turned back to Katara, a friendly but confident smirk now on her face. "We can save that for the festival."

Grinning back, Katara placed a hand on her hip and leaned back. "Is that so? I guess we will see what happens."

"Yeah! All you Class A punks will see what we have to show at that festival!" Tetsutetsu screamed out once again, his sharp teeth clenched as he pumped his fist in the air. "It's time to show you punks exactly what a real man can do!"

From his seat, Kirishima rubbed his head in annoyance. "That's my line, come on!"

* * *

Later after the students left school and went their separate ways, Todoroki walked through the front door of his home and was once again met with his sister in the kitchen. She immediately stopped when she saw him.

"Shoto, there you are!" She happily said as he removed his shoes. "I was hoping to see if you wanted to go and get some take out tonight."

"I'm fine, thank you though…" He blandly responded, "… I'll just make something here."

"Well that's why I was asking, since we don't have anything. I forgot to grab food after work earlier."

Shoto looked up to his sisters embarrased smile, feeling the slight warmth in his chest rise up as she rubbed her head. "What were you thinking on grabbing tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking something like Soba." the elder Todoroki said with a smirk, seeing her brothers eyes widen just the slightest to his favorite food.

While he didn't show much emotion ever, Shoto couldn't ignore the warm feeling he would feel when his sister spoke to him. Growing up he barely had the chance to truly interact with his siblings all thanks to good old dad, but whenever they did she was always there to try and cheer him up. He gave a small nod to her and slipped his backpack off. "Sure that sounds good."

The door behind him suddenly opened, causing Fuyumi's smile to fade as she looked to the new body walking into the house. The look in her eyes was one Shoto was used to from his childhood, causing his blood to race through his veins to who just joined. He exhaled deeply as he turned up to his father. "You're back home early." he coldly said.

Endeavor scoffed as he shut the door behind him. "Being my agency I can head home when I choose to. I wanted to have a word with you today as well."

Shoto's fist clenched as he glared up to his father, the man who never even spoke to him the night of the attack on the school. Even though he was unhurt, the fact his own family didn't even ask how he was doing simply sent a sharp pain through his chest. Even his older brother at college called to check on his well being. And yet here, this "father" he had never even bothered to check his condition. And yet now he wanted to talk about something.

Looking away, Shoto and took a deep breath. "We were getting food now, so we can talk later."

Fuyumi smiled awkwardly as she tried to stay neutral. "Y-yes, we were going to grab some soba, Dad. If you are hungry I can pick some up for you too so-

"I was talking to him, not to you…" Endeavor's harsh glare silenced his daughter. "… You can go and leave us now."

The frost on Shoto's hand crawled up his arm as he looked to his sister's hurt expression, the elder sibling giving a quick bow and walking out with her eyes hung low. The pained look on Fuyumi's face made Shoto's blood boil, his eyes staring daggers up to his father for speaking to her that way. The hero ignored the glare he received as he crossed his arms and grinned.

"I wanted to speak to you about the festival coming soon. While I am surprised they have not canceled it due to the attack-

' _So you did know and didn't bother asking me…'_ Shoto grunted internally as his father continued.

"This is the perfect opportunity for you to finally live up to the family name. Once you take first place it will show the world just what you are capable of. This is where you show you are above those common kids and why you are different."

Huffing out, Shoto turned to walk away before a large hand gripped his shoulder forcefully. His angry gaze turned back to his father as he shrugged him off. "I am going to go and change. I'm hungry."

"Then you will get to your training once you are finished, understand?" Endeavor sneered down at him. "It would do you good to train both sides."

Shoto's left hand hand clenched at the mention of those words. "I do not need your damn power to win this thing. I'll do it all with hers alone."

The flames on Endeavor's shoulders grew slightly in irritation to his creation's attitude. "You are pulling this shit just to get under my skin, and frankly it may work sometimes. However, this hardheaded way you are trying to go by will just cause you problems. I would hate to find out what would happen if one of your other classmates happened to defeat you, like that rich little brat that beat your assessment score."

At first he was confused to how he found out, Shoto shook his head in annoyance. "So you got the records from the school?"

"Indeed. Being the number two hero has its benefits…" Endeavor sneered. "… I read through your classmates, and you better not embarrass my name by letting those commoners win."

"Are you concerned about all of them, or just one?" Shoto shot back at his father, causing the hero's eyebrow to raise.

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

"I mean to your failure in Hosu with Katara."

Endeavor's flames flared up at the mention of that girls name. He had seen that girls picture among the list of of others that were in his sons class, frustrating him that she was somehow able to get into UA as well. He ground his teeth and clenched his fist as his son continued to stare up at him, the teens eyes never leaving his own. "Did that little bitch come and cry to you about that night?"

Shoto's brow scrunched in anger to the words his father used. He wasn't close to his classmate, but to hear his dad speak that way about her still made him angry. It was different from the random cursing Bakugo would say to everyone that was his way of talking. This… this was from the heart. He took several breaths to keep his nerves level, slipping his hands into his pockets to control his body.

"She didn't say a word until I confirmed it myself. You made that obvious." he coldly responded to his father.

Grunting, the pro crossed his arms and began tapping his finger in irritation. "That police chief was supposed to hide all of those damn stories that came out after that night. That stupid son of a bitch couldn't even get that right."

Sighing out loud, Endeavor glared down and pointed a finger to his prized creation. "At this point it doesn't matter what happened in the past. What does matter is you better not let that girl beat you at the festival. All of my life's work and effort will be humiliated if you fail. So why don't you finally grow up and knock off this act you are trying to pull with only part of your power!? I made you to be the perfect hero, and you will show that, damn it!"

Hearing enough, Shoto walked away as his arms shook. He ignored the sound of his name being ordered back and entered his room, slamming it hard behind him. His teeth clenched so hard he felt like they were about to crack from the pressure, his breath coming in raspy intakes as he stared at the ground. He felt the ice spreading further up his right arm, the frosty chill floating up into his bedroom. He stopped however when he noticed the smoke rising from the left side of his jacket. He pulled his arm out instantly and widened his eyes when he saw the flickering flames across the top of his hand.

"Damn it…" he cursed himself and deactivated his quirk. He had almost let his emotions out once again, the fire feeding off the anger growing inside of him. He took several deep breaths and laid his head back against the door. His heart rate slowed and he brought his left hand up and stared at his palm. The power that coursed through his veins felt more like a curse than a blessing, a curse that caused more pain than any physical hit he could be dealt. For it was the cause of the one thing that gave any form of comfort as a child to disappear after that fateful night so many years ago.

He reached up and brushed his fingers along the burn that was etched into his face, closing his eyes as he remembered more than just the pain of being disfigured, but to the pain of losing the one person he could turn to for love.

"I'll win this festival for myself, not for him. And I will do it without using that bastards power."

* * *

That evening in Hosu, the bright city lights illuminating the streets below as people bustled on with their lives. Everything seemed normal as cars honked in traffic, and the occasional hero was swarmed by the screaming fans asking for pictures and autographs. It was the typical thing that happened not just here, but any place that a hero appeared, the crowds running up and begging pros to take selfies with them, or to shake their hands at the very least. While most watched the heroes standing there in awe, there was one who looked in anger.

High above the street, the cities water tower was occupied by a lone figure hunched down glaring out to the noisy streets below. His bandaged arms hung to his sides as his body armor hugged his torso. Behind his raggedy black hair the blood red scarfs blew in the wind along with his torn white mask wraps. The mans dark eyes looked down to the single hero on the road beneath him, watching in disgust as the man posed with fans and walked down the road acting like they were the top dog on the street.

"Disgusting…" the lone figure sneered as he gripped one of the many weapons littered across his body. "… the fakes that litter the streets are a sickness that must be purged from this world. They are all a disgrace to the title they arrogantly claim for themselves."

He wanted to jump down right then and there, slice the throat of that man and let him bleed out on the street. He wanted the world to see this fake die, to prove the truth he knew was what needed to be done. He knew however, the world was too blind to see what he was trying to do for the better good, their blind love for this twisted society keeping their eyes from seeing the big picture. He let his hand slip off the sword on his back, sighing as he watched the pro walk down the road out of sight. Grunting out, the figure looked out to the horizon, knowing he had to lay low for a week or so from his last few tasks he had completed to give himself time. He needed to let the heat blow over so he could work again. Now that he had moved to a new city, he was itching to continue the journey he was determined to complete.

His long tongue ran out and licked his cheek, a smirk spreading across his face. "Soon this place will be purified of the fakes and people will see the truth they have all forgotten. Everyone will learn the true meaning of being a hero once the posers and the trash that flood these streets are culled. Their blood will be a stain on this lie that controls this world."

**Notes: DUN DUN DUN! and here he comes! one of my favorite characters in the entire show! and finally happy to get to this point!**

**Now we are getting to the point where Todoroki will finally play a bigger role in the story. got some fun things planned soon.**

**till next time!**


	19. The Hangout Spot

Running through the school testing grounds, Katara wore her UA gym uniform and watched as Uraraka ran by and touched several boulders on the ground. Moments later the items floated up into the air as the waterbender flipped her canteen open and pulled out a thick stream of water. She whipped it forward and sliced through several of them as blobs of acid flew by and dissolved them into even smaller pieces.

Katara flipped around and grinned to the assist. "I think you're getting better at that."

"You think so?" Mina smirked as she dripped more acid out of her hand and threw it up to another boulder.

Before either of them could attack another set of boulders, two long strings of tape shot out and grabbed most of them and flung the rocks into the building face nearby. Mina glared and looked to her right. "Hey, these are our boulders! Get your own, Sero!"

"Hey we're all training here. Sharing is caring." Sero teased and popped his arms as he stretched.

"Yeah, but go train with someone else. We asked Uraraka to give us floating targets." Mina puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms.

Uraraka smiled awkwardly and waved her hands. "It's okay, Mina. I can make plenty of them float for all of you to- bleh!"

All of them watched wide eyed as the brunette suddenly covered her mouth and held back the sick feeling she felt in her stomach. Katara grimaced and walked over patting the sick girls back. "Maybe you should take a break. You've done quite a bit with your quirk already."

Nodding her head, Uraraka stepped back and sat down on a nearby curb. She grunted as she hunched over letting her stomach settle from the horrible feeling inside of her. She had been lifting boulders for the last twenty minutes and the effects of her quirk were beginning to be too much for her to take at the moment. Watching the young girl sulking on the ground now, Katara sighed and placed the water back in her canteen. "Just relax for now. I know your power gets to your stomach so you shouldn't push it too much."

Hearing a loud explosion in the distance, Katara turned and watched the rising smoke cloud from out behind another building. She grunted knowing Bakugo was probably off on his own blowing up whatever he felt like pissed him off at the moment before she glanced over to Mina stretching her back. It had been a week since they were told about the festival, and many days the students were allowed to go to several of the testing facilities to train with their classmates in preparation for the games. After a few days of breaking just rocks after school, she was growing somewhat bored of this. She wanted to take a break and do something else. Even back as she had prepared for a war in her own world they needed days to just change the pace.

Looking back to the others, Katara noticed that Uraraka had decided to call it quits and head back to the locker room while Sero had already taken off elsewhere in the testing grounds. The only one still by her was Mina who looked ready to go for another round. The waterbender sighed and walked over to her.

"Hey, I was thinking that instead of doing this we should-

"Yes please!" Mina happily answered.

"Uhh, what?" Katara raised her eyebrow in confusion as the pink girl grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"Yeah, instead of rocks can you shoot some of your ice at me?" Mina chuckled and oozed out a ball of acid in her hand. "I wanna do something a bit more thrilling than hitting harmless rocks."

Katara rolled her eyes and laughed at the statement. "I was going to say instead of training how about we take some time and do something relaxing for a day. We have tomorrow off of school so we should go somewhere."

"Ooh... Gotcha." Mina laughed sheepishly and let the acid fall and sizzle by her feet. While she wanted to work more and practice with her quirk, she had to admit a day off to kick back did sound pretty good too. "Yeah, I think that does sound pretty good, actually. In fact, why don't we get some food tonight also? I'm starving."

The mention of food caused Katara's stomach to growl, her hands gripping her abdomen as she blushed. "I think I could go for a bite also." she said. "We should ask whoever else wants to take the day off too should come. If we go to-

"YEAAAAHHHH!"

the Katara turned to the sudden yell from above, her eyes going wide as she watched Kirishima falling from a nearby roof and careen towards the ground. "Oh my… what are you, crazy!?" before she could react to stop his fall, she watched in shock as his body slammed into the street with a loud crash, her heart racing in shock before he burst out from the rubble in his hardened state.

"Ah yeah! That was a good one!" Kirishima yelled in glee and laughed to himself as the two girls watched and frowned at his kamikaze stunt he just preformed.

"So this is your training?" Katara asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

Kirishima just grinned at the girls staring at him. "Hell yeah it is. Taking hits like this builds my quirk up. Nothing's gonna hurt me someday."

Mina shook her head and smiled. "Well how about you take a break and come join us? We are going to-

"Sorry, gotta keep going. Only have a week till the festival!" Kirishima yelled as he ran back into the building towards the stairs to repeat his move, leaving the two girls standing in bewilderment.

"Or we don't tell you about tomorrow." Mina groaned and exhaled in annoyance. She looked over to her blue eyed friend and sighed. "Guess it's the two of us so far."

"I guess so." Katara said with a smile before she noticed Mina wiggling in her spot with a playful smirk on her face. "What's that look for?"

"Soooooo… about that ice." Mina asked pleadingly, causing Katara to playfully roll her eyes.

"You really want me to shoot ice at you?" Receiving a nod from Mina, Katara sighed and opened her canteen. "Alright, I'll go easy at first."

"Oh don't think I can take a few ice balls?" Mina smirked and braced her stance. "Hit me with your best shot."

A malicious grin spread across Katara's face to the challenge. "A few ice balls? Okay then."

Watching the waterbender wave her hands, Mina formed acid inside her palms and laughed. "Don't think I will get scared from a couple of small… uhhhhhh." her smile faded when she watched twenty ice spikes form in the air and point right at her.

"Oh shit…"

* * *

Walking down the sidewalk, Katara couldn't help but smirk as she took another bite of her sandwich, enjoying the taste of the roasted chicken inside that reminded her of the arctic hen she ate growing up. She glanced to her left and giggled to Mina's annoyed expression that hadn't changed since they left school. In fact the pink girl still had an ice chunk in her hair, too stubborn to take it out even as she changed out of her gym outfit.

"So how were the few ice balls for training?" Katara asked with a smile.

"Oh hee hee hee, so funny," Mina waved her hands sarcastically as the waterbender giggled at her, taking a big bite out of her own sandwich and swallowed. "If I knew you could like rain down an ice armory I may have told you to hold back a tiny bit."

"Hey, you said don't hold back." Katara shrugged her shoulders and took another bite, earning a laugh from her friend.

"Okay you got me. Should have figured the top girl in the class may not have been the best to challenge."

That statement caused Katara to raise her eyebrow in surprise. "Top girl?"

"I mean you are class rep, and one of the toughest ones in the class," Mina grinned, "only other girl I think could take you on is maybe Yaoyorozu."

Katara felt a sense of pride from the compliment, knowing how technically Yaoyorozu had the top score out of everyone in the quirk assessment. She then noticed the lack of seeing her recently. "Hey, where is she by the way? I haven't seen her come to the training grounds after school."

"I hear from Jiro she goes home to study for practice." Mina responded, making Katara tilt her head in confusion.

"How is studying training for her?"

Mina shrugged her shoulders. "I think she is studying types of things she can create with her quirk."

Looking up to the orange sky, Katara remembered Yaoyorozu saying she had to know what an item was made of before she could create it. She began thinking of clothes, weapons, and even those cannons the taller teen would make out of her body and scratched her head in amazement. _'So she really needs to know what they are made with and how they go together? No wonder she's so smart. She has to remember so many things.'_ she mentally chuckled to herself. She then thought of the other genius of the class and sighed. "I wonder where Iida is at…"

"Hmm?" Mina swallowed the bite she had and turned to her friend. "Shouldn't you know? You live with him."

"Yeah, but this whole week he said he wanted to train on his own. I have not seen him at the campus training grounds though." Katara said.

Shrugging her shoulders, mina crumpled up her trash and tossed it in a nearby bin. "Not everyone trains at the school. Maybe he has his own routine?"

"I don't know…" Katara shook her head in confusion. As they walked along the path together passed the buildings, Katara noticed they opened up to their left and revealed something that took her breath away.

"Oh wow…"

The view opened up to a large park lined with large oaks. The inter winding paths had several people sitting on the park benches enjoying the gentle breeze. While it was a nice sight, the park was not what caught her eye. Just beyond the grass were steps leading down to golden sand lining along the blue water of the sea. Gentle waves crashed onto the shoreline, the water illuminated by the setting sun in the distance. Katara couldn't help but stare at the beauty for several minutes, taking in the sweet salty sense she always loved, smiling as the wind blew through her hair.

"I've seen the beach here before, but not during the sunset. I forgot how pretty it is." Katara said out loud as she turned and walked into the park towards the water. She reached the edge by the grass and leaned on the handrails overlooking the sand. Mina came and hopped up to sit on the railing next to her and threw her arms up.

"Ah, I always love the beach. It feels so good!" the pink girl grinned and took a deep breath. "We should come here tomorrow!"

"Actually that's a great idea." Katara agreed and smiled. A day at the beach did sound really good and a nice way to change up the routine. Not to mention it had plenty of water to still have some practice for herself.

"We should ask whoever else wants to join us." Mina said as she looked out, her eyes then catching sight they weren't alone and grinned. "Oh, it seems someone already beat us to this idea."

"What?" Katara saw her companion point down the beach, following her finger to see a familiar head of green running down the sand. "Midoriya?"

The boy jogged down the beach at a decent pace, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled in the soft ground. He huffed out and pushed forward harder, his muscles burning under his light blue track suit. He felt his lungs burn as he kicked off the sand and reached out to touch the piling he set as his marker. He inhaled deeply as he leaned back to stretch his back, wincing as he felt a cramp in his muscles making him frown.

"If *huff this makes me out of breath, I really need to train more." he grunted out loud.

"I think you need a drink actually."

Midoriya yelped in shock from the sudden voice above him. He flipped his head around and blushed at Mina's grinning face leaning over the railing and Katara next to her. The pink girl laughed at the redness that formed across his cheeks instantly.

"Wow, if I didn't know any better, I think your quirk is camouflage to how you change color so quick." Mina teased as he awkwardly wiped the sweat on his face. "Whatcha doing here?"

"Uh I c-come to train h-here actually," Izuku answered, "I like the beach since it feels good."

Katara grinned at his reasoning. "I'll have to agree with you on that one. I love anywhere there is water like this. This is a good idea you have here."

Midoriya smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head. "Y-yeah, thanks. I want to keep practicing for the festival next week."

"Well why don't you take a break tomorrow? We were thinking of getting some people to come to the beach here. You should come too."

Midoriya's smile fell at the offer Katara made. "R-really?" He looked over to Mina who smiled in agreement, still shocked to the statement. He had never been offered to come hang out outside of school since elementary school. It was a feeling he had completely forgotten about and didn't realize he had been missing. He felt a wave of happiness spill over him like the water crashing onto the shore nearby, having to hold back the emotional feeling welling up in his chest.

"Y-y-yeah! S-sounds good!" He quickly yelled out and nodded his head in agreement.

Katara smiled at his answer. "Great! I have to get going home but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah me too. See ya Midoriya!" Mina hopped off the rail and waved bye to the boy below causing him to blush once again.

"Y-yeah S-see ya!" Izuku quickly waved back as they turned and walked away, leaving him alone with a large grin on his face. He waited a few moments making sure he was alone before clenching his fists and shaking in excitement. "Wow, high school is so much better than I imagined! I don't get pushed around anymore, I have new friends. Now they invited me to the beach! I have to get my bathing suit so I-

His words stuck to his tongue as his eyes shot open when the realization hit him. "Wait… if I am wearing a swimsuit, that means they…"

Midoriya's face burned red once again when he realized they would be in beach attire as well. His mind immediately imagined the two girls in nothing more than a few small pieces of clothing covering them, his hands reaching up and grabbing his face in panic.

"Holy crap, I don't know if I can do this now!"

* * *

Flipping through another page of the industrial book she held, Yaoyorozu wore her evening nightgown sitting at her desk. She skimmed through the pages of the different items seeing anything that caught her eye. After a few more moments she saw the battery powered handsaw. "This could be good for moments when I get caught by something." She said to herself.

She turned to the manual guide for the tool and began reading over the components that went into its inner workings. The gears, the wiring, the materials for the motor and even the handle and trigger. After getting the idea of the machine, she nodded to herself and shut the book closed. She pulled the sleeve up her arm and stared at the exposed skin. Focusing her mind, she watched the glowing patch begin shifting and pushing out the item she wanted. The handle and back end came out first, followed by the long body and finally popping out of her with the saw blade sticking out from the end. Gripping the handle, the tall teen smiled to herself as the pulled the trigger and watched it turn on.

"Okay, that's another thing to remember..." she said to herself and set the tool aside into a pile of other random items she had made that evening, suddenly feeling her head spin slightly when she sat back up. She groaned as she rubbed her temple to the aching sensation to her head and the cramping in her stomach. The loud growl from her belly made her moan in annoyance. "…and maybe that's it for the night."

Leaning back from her desk, Momo reached over and grabbed the two protein bars on the nightstand and ripped them open, scarfing them down instantly as she grumbled. Her power was a blessing to being able to make anything she could think of, but the fact it took so long for more complicated items and the draining affect on her body was not something she took pleasure in. While she had never passed out from over exertion, she had come close several times while at home alone when she was younger. Crossing her arms, she stood up and walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. She looked the clock on the nightstand and frowned when she saw the time it took to make the last three items of the night.

"If I can somehow increase the speed I create, that means I will be able to do more then," her fingers suddenly squeezed her arms, past memories fighting their way up as she took a deep breath. "I won't be so vulnerable." Momo closed her eyes to try and ignore the thoughts coming to her, but unfortunately it made the images come even more vivid, remembering the story she avoided telling Katara the first night they hung out.

She saw herself back in that elementary school, those four faces that always tormented her daily pinning her alone in the same hallway she was forced into. Day after day those kids forcing her to do their bidding or else her days got much worse for her. She remembered the many days she had to hide the bruising on her arms from others seeing what she dealt with, too afraid to say anything otherwise her tormentors would have taken it out on her. Worst of all, she still remembered the one face burned into her memory still.

Those bright golden eyes of that blonde that led those others still popped into Momo's mind from time to time. The weeks of teasing that turned into months of torture were the worst times of her life, only ending when a single day changed everything. She quickly shook her head to rid her mind of those thoughts, knowing those days were long gone for her. Now she was in a place that had people who didn't care about trying to her quirk for their own personal benefits. She had good friends already and school had just started.

BZZZT.

The phone by her side broke her from her thoughts thankfully, sliding the screen on and seeing a message from Katara.

**Hey Me and Ashido were planning on going to the beach tomorrow. We were hoping to see who else wants to come. Want to join us?**

Smiling, Momo felt like a day clearing her head would be great. She quickly typed out her response.

**That sounds great. I can bring us drinks. What time are you thinking?**

A few minutes later, her phone vibrated from the new incoming message.

**Mina said around Noon. That sound good?**

Nodding in approval as if someone saw it, Momo grinned and typed back.

**That works for me. I will see you there!**

* * *

Smiling at the answer she received, Katara opened up the door to the Iida home and removed her shoes. That was two people now joining her and Mina, curious who else would be coming. She then remembered how she had come back alone today, her eyes looking around to see if Tenya was home yet. She was surprised when the door behind her opened up right then and revealed the one she was looking for.

"Wow, perfect timing," Katara chuckled and walked up to him. "How was your training after school?"

"I actually didn't train today. I was working on finishing my homework in the library so I have no need to do it tomorrow." Tenya answered with a smile. "Now I have all of tomorrow free for training."

Katara lifted her eyebrow at him and smirked. "You really are on it when it comes to homework."

"Of course! You must be diligent to ensure success in school."

Rolling her eyes at his statement, she chuckled to herself. "Well I'll do mine tonight. Tomorrow actually was going to go to the beach."

Tenya's tilted his head to her plan. "Are you planning on conducting your training there?"

"No, Me and Ashido thought it would be good to take a break and just have a fun day. Yaoyorozu and Midoriya are also coming. You should come, too." She smiled at him.

"A day at the beach?" Tenya grabbed his chin as he contemplated the idea. "It does sound intriguing to speak the truth."

"Yeah, you should come join us. Give you some time to relax."

Tenya thought of the idea for a moment, in honesty a day to not worry about school or training did sound good. However, he dropped his arms and closed his eyes. "I really appreciate the offer, but I must humbly decline."

Katara's smile faded when she heard that. "What? Why?"

"The sports festival is only a week away, and with school being off tomorrow this is the perfect opportunity for me to get in the most possible training in one day. Therefore I will take full advantage of this and keep to my schedule that I made."

"Come on," Katara complained at his answer, "You don't have to train all day. Just come with us for some of the day. It will be fun."

Tenya still shook his head and gave a small bow. "I am grateful for the offer you just made, but this is a decision that I must stick to. I hope that you enjoy your day, Katara."

Huffing out, Katara gave a small smile up to him. "Alright, I won't make you come. If you change your mind we will be getting there at noon."

Smiling back to her, Tenya nodded. "Thank you, Katara. I hope you have a fun day."

Watching her walk away and into Tensei's place, Tenya waited a few moments after she closed the door before he exhaled softly. He adjusted his glasses before placing his hands on his hips. "I cannot allow my training to falter. If I don't push myself harder and longer, I won't be able to catch up to where you are now, Katara." he said out loud before turning and walking down the hallway towards his room. As he disappeared, the door to the Iida family workshop cracked open, revealing Tensei's face grinning inside.

"Wow, I never figured Tenya to be that type of person." He said to himself in amusement. He had known Katara has outperformed his brother in the entrance exam and their assessment testing, but to actually hear his brother admit his jealousy out loud was certainly surprising. He couldn't wait to see how this festival turned out.

* * *

The next day seemed to arrive so fast for Midoriya as he made his way down the path towards the beach. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his neck in nervousness as he was still somewhat embarrassed coming to the beach with the girls, but also in excitement to a hangout day. He couldn't hide the smile across his face as he stepped onto the sand and stared out to the ocean. Sporting his gray trunks and a white shirt, he adjusted his beach bag on his shoulder as he glanced at his phone to check to make sure he was here on time.

"11:59. perfect! Right on schedule." He happily said and looked around to try and find them. He was quite surprised by how empty the beach was for a weekend day, and taking notice that they weren't there either. "They are probably around the corner. Yeah!" He told himself and shifted his feet in the sand.

He hummed for a moment before looking at his phone again. "Right at noon. Okay. They should be here now." He glanced around to the park behind him, feeling his smile fade when he still didn't see them. "M-maybe they are just a little late. Yeah no problem." he huffed out loud, his nerves beginning to build. He looked out to the water and swallowed the lump in his throat forming. He couldn't help but check his phone again and felt his shoulders drop.

"12:01. D-did I read the text wrong? Maybe t-they meant another twelve o'clock. Uhh no that's midnight, who would go to the beach at midnight? Or did they mean another beach or-

"Hey! You beat us here!" Mina's voice called out once again from behind him.

Sighing out loud, Midoriya turned around in happiness. "H-Hey. I was thinking I was too early, but when you didn't show I began to-

If Midoriya was an old man, his heart would have probably given out from how hard it began beating when he saw what was behind him. _'Oh sweet Jesus almighty!'_

Mina was carrying an umbrella and several chairs while Katara had a bag of towels draped over her shoulders, but that was not what Midoriya was looking at, for their attire is what froze the boy. Mina was wearing a tight fitting pink shirt that matched her fur so well he almost swore she was shirtless for a moment. Her legs were only covered by a small pair of yellow shorts at the top of her thighs. Katara was also in a small set of gray shorts as well, but what made Midoriya's eyes shoot open was the blue crop top she wore revealing her toned stomach. His hands shot to his mouth as he nearly yelped in shock. "MMMMPPH!"

The two girls watched his face burn bright red, Katara lifting her eyebrow at his antics before giving a small smile. "You okay?"

"Mmmhmm!" He mumbled through his hands and flipped around to avert his eyes, his brain going on overdrive already.

"Well if you are okay then wanna give me a hand?" Mina grinned and held up her items. "We can find a spot to set up while we-

"I CAN DO IT, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" Midoriya screamed as he quickly snatched the chairs and umbrella and sprinted down the beach towards the water, leaving Mina standing with her arms out still.

"- Wait for the others." the pink girl finished, watching in amazement as Midoriya seemingly set the spot up with rapid speed setting turned on.

Midoriya was trying to use the setup excuse to distract himself, but a quick glance to the girls caused his heart rate to spike again. _'_ _OH GOSH, THIS IS EVEN CRAZIER THAN I THOUGHT! AND THEY ARE STILL_ _FULLY_ _DRESSED!'_ his mind screamed out while he opened up the chairs.

While he speedily set up the spot along the water, the two girls laughed at his antics before heading down after him. "So Yaoyorozu said she is coming, but Tsu said she is with her family today," Katara said, "What about you? Did you get anyone else?"

Mina sighed and held the back of her head with both hands. "Hmmm, not really. Jiro said her family was doing something as well. Hagakure just said she had plans already, and you talked to Uraraka?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah, and she said she had things she had to take care of but said thanks for the invite."

"So it seems we are only getting a few people today then. Oh well." Mina threw her arms in the air and laughed. "Still, it's gonna be nice having a day like this! The five of us will have a great time!"

"What? Five?" Katara tilted her head in confusion. "There's four of us coming."

"Oh I didn't tell you? Someone else said they could come too." Mina responded.

"Who?"

Before she said anything, Mina looked back and smiled. "Ah, perfect timing. He made it."

"He?" Katara turned as well to see, her eyes seeing a familiar feathered head come into view. She smiled and walked towards him, waving to the incoming classmate. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming."

Tokoyami nodded as he approached, the teen wearing a black shirt and dark blue shorts. "I got a message from Ashido last night about this. I felt a day like this was a good idea as well."

Katara was surprised when she heard that. "You got Ashido's number?" she questioned, receiving another nod from him.

"Yes, we exchanged the day after the USJ attack when we were waiting for you to return."

Learning that made Katara feel a small sense of guilt. Since school the only new numbers she got were from the other girls and Midoriya, and his was due to the secret he knew of her. Other than that she completely forgot to get numbers from people like him or Kirishima in case they ever needed to get a hold of each other. "Yeah, sorry. After the attack I kinda had a lot on my mind so I forgot to ask your number."

"It is alright. That was quite the day for all of us." He responded calmly, pulling out his phone and opening it up. "If you want we can exchange ours now."

Katara smiled and pulled hers out too. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

As they traded information, Midoriya exhaled in success as he finished setting up the chairs underneath the large umbrella. He looked to the approaching classmates and blushed once again, but sighed in relief when he saw Tokoyami was joining them too. _'Oh good, I'm not alone here.'_ he thanked internally. Sure some guys may have preferred being alone with two girls on the beach, but for someone like Midoriya he knew another male there would help give him someone to talk to sometimes where he didn't need to worry about where his eyes wandered. He still held his breath though when Mina walked up and plopped herself into one of the chairs in the sand.

"Ah, now that hits the spot." She sighed contently and rubbed her feet in the sand. She looked up and gave a wink to the green haired teen. "Good job setting up for us. Thanks for the assist, Midoriya."

"N-no problem!" Midoriya quickly nodded and turned towards the ocean, taking a deep breath to calm himself as the other two sat down as well.

Katara stretched her legs out and smiled towards the ocean, enjoying the salty breeze blowing through her hair and sending a chill up her neck. "This is great, I'm glad you all agreed to come."

"Agreed. I appreciate the invite." Tokoyami Said as he sat in the sand near the group.

"Y-yeah, same! Thanks!" Midoriya quickly added.

"Even if we didn't invite you I feel like you would be running by us right now." Mina teased causing his face to blush. "You were booking it down the sand yesterday."

Laughing, Midoriya rubbed his head. "Not really. I have been trying to get faster by running here."

"Why don't you come and train at the school? We could always help you." Katara offered, making him blush once again.

"I ap-preciate the offer, but I'm okay!" He quickly said. "I have always trained alone so I'm used to it."

"Hey, sorry if I'm a little late!"

The group turned around to the feminine voice behind them. They caught sight of Yaoyorozu pulling a rolling cooler behind herself through the sand towards them, smiling underneath the large sunglasses on her face. While they waved in response, both the boys and girls (especially the boys) took note of the black fishnet shirt she was wearing, revealing a matching red bikini set underneath. Midoriya had to avert his eyes away once again as he felt his body burning up from more than just the hot sun.

' _What the hell! Yaoyorozu was coming here too!? I really don't know if I can do this!'_ The green haired teen sweated and twitched anxiously as the tall beauty arrived.

"I tried to get here earlier but I had to help my mom with a few things this morning." Momo said as she took her glasses off.

Katara smiled up to her. "We just got here ourselves. You are fine."

Nodding Momo pulled the cooler up and opened the lid. "As I said I brought us some drinks. I have some waters, sodas and some juice. Anyone want anything?"

"I'll take a water actually." Katara answered.

"same for me." Tokoyami said.

"Oh, soda for me here!" Mina threw her hand up.

"Uh… I'll take a soda too." Midoriya responded, hoping a drink would cool his body down.

After passing out the refreshments, Momo took a seat next to Katara and opened her own juice and smiled. "Now this was a great idea. Thanks for asking me, Katara."

"No problem. I figured seeing we were training everyday we needed just one day to clear our heads." Katara said before taking a sip of water. "Me and Ashido were walking last night and ran into Midoriya here and decided to make a day of it by the water."

"Well I am glad you did. I needed something like this." Yaoyorozu leaned back in her seat and sighed. Hearing the water crashing in front of he was soothing to her tired mind and made her moan in satisfaction. "I am actually surprised Iida isn't here. You two seem to spend a lot of time together."

Katara frowned and closed her water up. "Not as much this last week, though. I asked him but he said he wanted to train instead. Couldn't slack for the festival as he explained."

Seeing her faded smile, Midoriya finally took a seat by them. "He is very school oriented." he said, causing her to grin.

"Yeah. I mean sometimes he can be a little bit-

"Of a stiff." Mina blurted out, causing the other girls to glare.

"Hey, that's rude!" Momo yelled in annoyance.

"Hey hey, its not a bad thing! Just saying what I see." Mina retorted waving her hands.

While she was upset to the insult to her friend, Katara had to somewhat admit a little truth to it. He was sometimes too uptight for someone their age, and she couldn't help but grin. "It's okay. He is a good friend…" She suddenly brought her arm out and started chopping. "...Even when he talks like this."

The action broke the tension as all of them burst out laughing. Even the quiet Tokoyami couldn't stop from chuckling at the performance. For the next thirty minutes the five of them laughed and joked, telling other things about the other classmates that amused them. They heard from Momo about Kaminari's fried brain state, or Aoyama's obsession with sparkles and lights from Mina. Smiles and smirks were the only things the group wore as they enjoyed the company of the others and Even Midoriya had loosened up, no longer uncomfortable as he couldn't help but feel happy he had ran into the girls last night while training. He'd have to thank All Might soon for making him come here so much over the last year for his running.

Leaning up and wiping sweat forming on her brow, Katara huffed out and reached down pulling the crop top up and over her head. While the boys had to hide the blush from the blue sports bra she wore, the two girls raised their eyebrows at the choice of clothing.

"You didn't put on a bikini top?" Momo asked curiously, making Katara tilt her head in confusion.

"What, is this not okay?" Katara responded.

"Well I mean yes, but at the beach you didn't want to put something on a little looser?"

Katara blushed slightly at that, thinking back to the more revealing fire nation clothing she had seen back home. Even then she chose to wear more compressed wrappings like what she had on now, and Yaoyorozu thought she should wear something more revealing than this? She glanced down to the see through shirt on the creationist and noticed the small fabric pieces covering over her chest. "Uhhh… I never really wore things like that before. I'm not sure if I want to."

"Aww are you shy?" Mina teased, "You shouldn't be though. You're hot! A body like that and you are trying to hide it?"

Katara frowned at her. "I'm not shy. It's just… okay maybe I am, so what?"

Momo chuckled at the flushed girl. "You have nothing to be shy about. You look amazing. And I bet if you had something not as restricting as that on you as that sport bra, I bet you would get more eyes on you too."

Turning even more red from the wink, Katara couldn't help but smirk back at her. "Maybe, although you don't need help with that, now do you?"

The comment caused Momo to choke on her drink for a second before she laughed back. "Wow, now that is not what I expected from you."

Either the girls didn't care or completely forgot them, the two boys sat in silent awkwardness to the trio continued talking about their outfits and their chests. Tokoyami appeared calm and collected, although couldn't stop the few beads of sweat that dripped down his head. "They talk casually about this topic while me and you are here. Not the most comfortable talk, don't you agree?" He waited for a response before he looked over in surprise to the other and widened his eyes to what he saw. "Midoriya?"

The teen in question was sweating profusely as his face burned a horrific looking red. He tried rubbing his face to calm himself, but every time he moved his fingers he couldn't help but peak towards the girls as they continued to talk about their outfits. It only made it worse every time they mentioned their own outfit his eyes inadvertently were drawn towards the area below their necklines. His breath came in quick intakes as he felt his nerves going up past the clouds.

' _Oh god oh god oh god! Can we just change the topic please!? If this goes on I don't think my heart can take anymore and-_

"Yeah If you want Katara, I'll show you wear I get this one I have. They are really nice." Mina said as she lifted up her shirt to display her bikini to Katara, causing Midoriya's eyes to pop out of his head when he caught sight of the yellow striped top over her large chest.

"AHHHH I'M GONNA GO SWIMMING!" Midoriya screamed out in panic and began ripping at his shirt as fast as he could, needing his body to cool down before he lost it. The girls turned in surprise to his sudden yell, watching in bewilderment to the teen thrashing to get his shirt off.

Mina shrugged her shoulders. "Uhh, okay. Is the water cold or-

"WATER WILL BE FINE! I-I MEAN I'LL CHECK!" He mumbled loudly as the shirt stuck to his head for a moment, the teen furiously tearing at the neck hole to get it off.

' _I need the water I need the water I need the water!'_ He screamed internally in panic.

While they were confused by his sudden action, Katara's eyes widened slightly when she noticed the toned six pack on Midoriya's core. She was really surprised as he finally got his shirt off that his body was actually lined with lean muscle, completely opposite to what she expected from his quiet and nervous demeanor. As he dropped his shirt and locked eyes with her, they both felt their cheeks heat up slightly before Mina broke the silence with a whistle.

"Ohh, hot damn Midoriya. You been hitting the gym a lot, haven't you?" Mina teased the sweating boy, turning him two shades darker than he already was.

"Y-yeah s-sometimes. Gonna go swim!" He quickly turned and bolted down towards the water as his heart beat a mile a minute.

' _Please be cold please be cold!'_

As he left the group, Katara watched him for a few moments stifling a giggle as she saw him grab his head being so flustered. _'_ _B_ _eing so shy, I think he may never have even kissed a girl.'_ she laughed internally. It did surprise her why he was so shy considering how cut he was. Most guys would be flaunting what they have if they were as ripped as him. She looked over to her pink friend and raised her eyebrow to the smirk she wore. "What are you smiling at?"

Assuming she was going to tease her about the moment she and Midoriya locked eyes, Katara was surprised when Mina nodded her head to the right. Curious, Katara turned that direction and smirked as well when she realized what Ashido was trying to silently tell her. "Oh I see."

Momo's cheeks carried a bright shade of pink as she stared down the beach to the fleeing teen. She had not really talked to Midoriya much through the school year, only saying hi now and then as they passed each other to their desks since she sat two seats behind him. She could tell he was perhaps the most shy boy in class just from the way he blushed every time either she or any girl passed him, but he was also nice and always polite to everyone. Even to someone as horrid as Bakugo, she never heard him say a negative thing about him. She would also be lying to herself if she said he wasn't a bit cute as well.

But Damn this surprised her!

As he had pulled off his shirt, Momo's eyes had immediately locked onto his toned stomach that led up to his defined chest and shoulders. He was not bulky in any way, but certainly in great shape compared to most other teens. Even as he ran away she took note of the muscles running up his lower back all the way to his neckline. The constant shift of his shoulder blades that shifted with every step she took before he disappeared from view and dove into the water. She sighed internally in disappointment, not realizing what she was doing before a splash of water on her face made her yelp out in shock. She looked over at the stream of water floating in the air before she glared over to the smirking Katara.

"Are you enjoying the show?" the waterbender teased and pulled her liquid back into her hand, earning another blush from the spiky haired girl.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yaoyorozu frowned and crossed her arms. "I was just admiring the waves and the beach."

"Uh huh…" Katara glanced over at Mina who was giggling the whole time. Suddenly another idea popped into Katara's head and made her grin even more. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Well while you are enjoying the waters view, I am going for a dip as well."

Momo's eyes widened when she heard that, looking back to the water and seeing their classmate swimming back and forth along the shoreline. "R-right now?"

"Ooh count me in too!" Mina cheered and hopped to her feet. "How about you, Yaomomo? A swim sound good to you?"

While she glared at first to the grin on the fuzzy girls face, she would be lying if hopping in the water didn't sound refreshing. Nodding, she stood up and removed her shirt and set it on her chair. "A swim would be nice. I shall join you."

While the three girls got ready to go, Tokoyami sighed out from his seat. "I shall watch the stuff here. You go on ahead."

"Oh no bird brain," Mina grinned and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Get your feathery butt up. You're coming too!"

Grunting at the pulling behind him, Tokoyami gave a small smirk and sat up. "Fine. I'll join too."

"Perfect! Let's hit it!" Mina yelled happily as the trio turned and headed down the beach, leaving Tokoyami alone as he began to pull his shirt off. Before he did, he couldn't help but take one quick glance to the backside of the girls before he shook his head ignoring those thoughts. He sighed to himself and yanked off his shirt and threw it aside.

" _So, which has the best ass?"_

Tokoyami felt his face flush from the sudden comment, glaring down to dark shadow peeking out of his chest. "You shut up! It's inconsiderate to think like that." he growled out.

" _Ah come on, birds have hormones too, ya know,"_ The shadow bird chuckled, _"Nothing wrong with looking unless you are-_

"Say another word and I will drown you." Tokoyami sneered, causing dark shadow to frown and retract back in. Groaning to himself, he stood up and walked after the girls. He had to avoid staring to them however as his beak flushed red. "I really hate you sometimes, dark shadow."

' _Always here to help.'_ dark shadows voice teased inside.

Bursting his head through the surface, Midoriya sighed happily as he cleared the water from his face. The water was a perfect temperature to come in and relax, and for sure just what he needed to cool his heated body off. He then mentally scolded himself for acting like an idiot and running off like that.

"Great, now they must really think I am weird." he lowered his head until is mouth was submerged and blew a few bubbles. He sighed and turned back towards the beach, expecting to see them sitting down still and-

PFFFFFFT!

The gush of water spraying out from Midoriya hid the bulging eyes on his face as he saw all of them at the waters edge, and all the girls stripped of their shirts! His eyes went over Katara's tanned and toned body glistening in the sun. Mina's sleek pink fur accentuated every curve of her shapely body. He then saw Yaoyorozu had removed the clear fishnet shirt revealing her red two piece that looked much too small for her.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" He screamed in the water, thankful the swirling sea hid his panic. Now he wished he was back on the beach buried in the sand.

"Hey, how's the water!?" Mina yelled out to the teen bouncing in the calm waves, laughing when she received a shaky thumbs up. "I'll take that as good."

Shaking his head, Tokoyami walked passed them and stepped into the water. He formed a small smile on his beak to the warm ocean splashing up his legs. "He's right. It does feel great."

"Well that is all I needed to hear. Yahoo!" Mina happily cheered and ran and dove head first into the sea before bursting out in a loud splash. "Oh wow this is so good!"

Smiling, Yaoyorozu walked in slow unlike her friend and savored the feeling of the ocean enveloping her legs. Once she was up to her chest she dipped her head back and let her hair fall into the water before flipping it up. She sighed contently as the waves rolled passed her and gently lifted her over the surface, loving the salty water falling down her skin. She turned to see Katara about to step in while the others were in the water now, now very grateful for the invite she was given last night. She slowly moved her arms as she tread in place, spinning in the water before she saw the red face of Midoriya bobbing in the waves.

Momo couldn't help but giggle at the look of panic on his face, seeing him frozen in place as he tried looking away from her. While she felt a warmth on her cheeks, she hid it and swam towards him to break the ice. As he saw her moving his way, Midoriya gasped and nearly dove under to hide himself.

' _Oh crap oh crap oh crap!'_ Midoriya screamed internally as she approached. He quickly turned and kept his face looking towards anything to distract him. _'Uhh… seagull! I'll watch that instead!'_ He sighed in success as he stared at the bird flying through the sky… only for it to swoop down and dive into the water in the distance directly beyond Yaoyorozu.

' _Damn it!'_

Back on the beach, Katara loved the pleasure of the water lapping up her thighs as she walked into the water towards Mina. "Now this day is getting better." She said as her friend backstroked passed her.

"Oh yes. So glad we decided this, girl." Mina chirped happily as she splashed by. "How about you, Toki? Loving the water?"

Rolling his eyes to the nickname, Tokoyami nodded back to her. "This was a great choice. Perhaps we can do this after the festival as well."

"That's a great idea actually," Katara smiled, "We can try and do this every so often. We can try and get some of the others to come next time."

"Imagine Mineta here with all of us?" Ashido grumbled out loud, sending a shiver up Katara's back.

"Yeah, Yaoyorozu told me how he was looking up her outfit every chance he had." the waterbender groaned, also remembering the crude comment the little creep said to her during the assessment test.

"It is repulsive the way he acts." Tokoyami added.

"Maybe Yaoyorozu can shoot him out of her cannon next time." Katara laughed. She then was curious where the tall teen went, looking out to the water and caught sight of her-

"Ohh…" Katara smirked seeing she was floating in the water near Midoriya, the green haired teen turned away in embarrassment. Suddenly, a mischievous idea formed in her mind, turning around and walking back towards the shore.

Mina sat up in the water in confusion seeing the dark girl leaving. "You're done already?"

"No, just I'm kinda in the mood for a splash," Katara grinned as she waved her hands, bending the sea and forming several steps of ice up above the water. "A big one."

Unbeknownst to the waterbender's plan, Momo sat idle in the surf as she looked towards the nervous teen. She treaded in awkward silence as he refused to look her way for more than a moment before turning back. She frowned in annoyance, but couldn't blame him since she hadn't said a word either. I mean, they were just friends, so a conversation shouldn't be this hard. Taking the initiative, she took a breath and turned back his way.

"This is amazing out here. Feels good out here, doesn't it?" She kindly asked, chuckling as he shifted his gaze away from her.

"Mmhmm!" He rapidly nodded his head, thankful the water on his face hid the sweat pouring off him. "Feels great!"

Smiling, Momo laid her head back in the water again as she looked up to the sky. "So how have you liked UA so far? I mean, other than the villains ruining our training."

The small joke brought a chuckle out of Midoriya, bringing his nerves down slightly and allowing him to turn back her way. "Y-yeah, it's been great. I mean the USJ was like a crazy theme park day."

Laughing at his response, she stared up at the clouds as her mind wandered, going over what she had experienced in these last few weeks. She then began thinking of the big event coming soon, a slight tightness in her stomach. "We have a week until the sports festival. You ready for that event?"

Taking a deep breath, Midoriya looked up to the sky as well as his mind began imagining the competition. "I hope so. For me it's so much different than everyone else. I still can't control my quirk, but if I let that stop me, I won't get further than I am now. I know its going to be hard, but this is my chance to prove what I can do. Its the chance for all of us to prove why we deserve to be here as heroes."

Yaoyorozu lifted her head up in surprise to his words. Not only was she taken aback by what he said, but the determination in his voice was completely different than the nervous tone he always carried. Even his face carried a stern gaze towards the clouds, sending a strange chill up her back. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"Wow, that's the most I've heard you speak since school started." She giggled as he blushed slightly. "I hope that I can do my best as well."

"W-well you are like the smartest person in class," Midoriya said, rubbing his head awkwardly as she smiled at him, "And you got top scores for the assessment."

Hearing that made her smile falter, sighing out as she kicked her legs. "Yes, but just watching those mock battles opened my eyes. Seeing everyone else and how amazing they are. I mean look at you; you scored last and yet you and Uraraka beat Bakugo and Iida, two of the top in scores. That was amazing."

Blushing to the praise, Midoriya couldn't help but feel his chest swell in hearing that again. Fluke or not, he had beat Kachaan, the one who always called him weak. Called him… Deku. And now that had changed into something much better.

"Yeah, it did feel good to-

"Waterbending ball!"

The two swimmers turned to the sudden yell of Katara jumping off her ice steps with her legs tucked into her chest. They watched in amusement as she reached the water, expecting to see a-

BOOOOOSH!

Their eyes burst open as a massive forty foot wave erupted from the waterbender.

"Are you crazy!?" Momo yelled in panic as the wave crashed over both her and Midoriya. The turbulent water engulfed her and swept her up instantly, the panicking girl kicking as she tried to get out of the current. As she tried however, it seemed the water only pulled her against where she tried to go. She pushed her legs harder and flailed her arms to reach for the surface before she suddenly bumped something with her hand. She instinctively reached out and felt it, the hard yet soft surface confusing her. Whatever it was though, it was something to hold onto.

She shot her arms out and latched onto it, wrapping her arms around it and pressing her body hard into it. She felt some relief that she was on something, and almost instantly the water seemed to calm itself, allowing her to float back to the surface along with her flotation device. The moment she felt her head break the surface, she spit out the salty water in her mouth and coughed a few times. She spun her head around and saw Katara wringing her hair out, shooting a cold glare to the culprit of the act she went through.

"What the hell, Katara!? That was crazy!" Momo snapped out in anger.

"Sorry, I was just jumping in and having a little fun. I may have made my splash a little big," Katara gave her a small shrug, but her smile never fell off her face. "I mean, I don't think it was that bad for you, though

"What do you mean? I almost drowned right there! If I didn't find this thing underwater I would have-

Momo suddenly caught the massive smirk on Mina's face, the girl holding the back of her head as she chuckled. Then there was Tokoyami, his beak lit up red in embarrassment, although he still had a smile on his face. "What are you two laughing at?"

The item she held suddenly began shaking. No, it was… shivering? Her heart rate spiked as she turned her head to look forward, only to be met with a mess of green hair right in front of her face. "Wait… don't tell me…"She was almost too afraid to look down, her face feeling like it was on fire at this point. Once she did, her blood rushed to her face as it turned as red as the swimsuit she wore.

There in her arms was Midoriya, the teen stiff as a board as his face was pressed right into her chest. His eyes were the size of dinner plates as he was clutched in her arms, and his chin resting right in the center between her two globes. The boy was unable to breath, partly due to the tight squeeze around his body, but also to the fact he was staring straight into the large crevice that sat below his face.

"You… wha… eh.. AHHHHHH!" Momo screamed out and pushed him away, her arms shooting up to cover her chest as she glared daggers. "You did that on purpose, didn't you!?"

"Me?" Katara fake gasped and covered her chest. Did she create the large wave on purpose? The water current that seemingly pulled Yaoyorozu a certain direction towards another person in the water? And that current suddenly stopped when they were pushed together in the water?

"I don't know what you are talking about."

As Momo sat flushed in embarrassment and Midoriya floated by frozen like a plank of wood, the other three couldn't hold back their laughs and chuckles. Katara sighed happily and looked up to the sky. "Now this day was so worth it."

**notes: aaand done! what started as a small filler scene turned into the whole thing and my longest chapter yet. this was just so much fun to write. Some friendly hangout days and standard teen cheesiness!**


	20. The Sports Festival Begins

Today was the day.

The students of 1-A all sat in their waiting room wearing the UA tracksuits for the festival to finally start. Many sat anxiously as their nerves tried to overcome their bodies. Others in the class couldn't wait to finally get out their and show what they could do. And a few seemed not to care either way whatsoever. From the girls table, Katara sat back in her chair and took another drink of water as she looked around the others around her.

Uraraka shifted back and forth in her chair in anxiety, while Mina kicked back with her feet on the table not worried in the least. Tsu was hard to get a read off of along with Toru, obviously from the lack of being able to see her expression. Jiro seemed calm as she slouched in her seat listening to music, but the final was somewhat of a mystery. She seemed calm most of the time, but as her eyes looked around the room to the other students she would suddenly flush red and look back down to her hands.

"Hey, you nervous about competing with the others today?" Katara asked her, surprised when she earned a glare back from Momo.

"It's not all of them I am nervous about." Momo growled out.

Confused, Katara looked through the crowd of other students. She didn't have to look long however when she saw Midoriya a deep red as well. "Ah… I see." Katara sighed out.

Since the day at the beach (more so the waterbending ball) Momo and Izuku had barely spoken a word to one another. Even a simple act as passing by their desks earned a blush that was impossible to hide. Katara noticed Tokoyami staring down to the sweating Midoriya, the shadow user shaking his head in annoyance to the state his friend was in. She then glanced over to Mina who simply gave a shrug. The waterbender scratched her head in guilt, thinking she may have made a situation worse out of what she thought was humor.

' _Maybe that joke wasn't such a good idea.'_ Katara mentally scolded herself.

"Katara."

Hearing her name called, she turned around and felt the hairs on her neck stand up when she saw Todoroki walking her way. Frowning internally, she spun in her seat so that she was facing him. "Yes? What is it?"

Usually his face lacked most emotions for anyone to get a read on. Today however, there was a stern, almost hungry look in his eyes. It was the look of anyone who knew anything about competition, the look of someone who was going to win at any cost.

"It appears today we will finally see who is going to be victor." Shoto sternly declared to her, earning a mix of shocked looks from the other students in the room. Katara didn't break her gaze as she nodded.

"Yes, it appears so," Katara sighed back towards him. "You've been waiting for this since the mock battles."

"I have been waiting since the first day of school." He coldly responded. His hands curled into loose fists as he remembered once again the first time he saw her, and the image on his computer. "It has been long enough for us waiting."

"Uh, where did this come from?" Sero chuckled out loud from his seat.

"A declaration of war?" Mina smirked and clapped her hands together, "Sweet. Every group of friends needs a rivalry."

As the students started chatting in amusement and confusion to this sudden call out, Bakugo felt his blood boil from the sight. _'What the fuck? He's calling her out? What the hell is so special about her?'_

Tenya also watched in confusion from what was going on, but then he remembered how Katara mentioned she felt tension from Todoroki in the first week of school. Now it appeared her thoughts were correct. He must have seen her as a rival in some sort and was determined to beat her today. He knew that… because he was feeling the same thing inside of his chest. He clenched his fists as Todoroki continued.

"Your powers are great, but it is obvious that I am stronger than you. Today is where we will finally prove that."

Katara somewhat knew that was the truth, but she hid her uncertainty with a scoff and crossed her arms. "You seem pretty confident in that claim. You sure you aren't getting ahead of yourself?"

Todoroki glared slightly and stepped forward again. "Do not take this personally, but I won't be holding back if we face each other later."

Hearing that sent a small chill up Katara's back, causing her to look to his left side she had heard so much about. Did this mean he was finally going to use his fire in a battle? Before she could respond, Kirishima walked up and placed his hand on Shoto's shoulder.

"Hey man, no need to get all dark here. We're all friends here and-

Todoroki shook the hand off of him and turned around. "I'm not here to make friends. I am here to be the best, and that is all."

Midoriya frowned slightly and stood up from his seat. "you don't have to say that, Todoroki. We are all here trying to be the best." He stopped talking when he received a cold look from Shoto, however.

"Midoriya, the same goes for you as well."

"What? Why me?" Izuku shakingly asked.

"Yeah, why Deku!?" Bakugo yelled out from his chair, pissed off he was being ignored. Todoroki ignored him as he walked towards Midoriya.

"I've noticed All Might has been close to you during school. I don't know what is going on between you two, but know if we face each other today I promise the same to you." Todoroki turned and walked away from the silent class, leaving most of them in bewilderment to the odd exchange. Katara however continued to stare him down, her mind thinking back to his father. She couldn't help but feel his drive against her was more than just a way to make Endeavor mad, but something much more personal.

"Uhh, what's going on between you two?" Uraraka questioned.

Katara sat still, only letting out a deep exhale. Her eyes met Midoriya's for a moment before she looked back to her hands. Only a few here really knew Todoroki's drive, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Nothing. We just don't want to lose to each other."

* * *

Sitting inside his home office, Tensei sighed happily as he finished the last few touches on the documents he had been working on that morning. After making sure they were all filled out correctly, he stuffed the into the file cabinet by his desk and leaned back in his chair. He had made sure to have this day cleared earlier in the week. This was a big day that he for sure did not want to miss for a mix of reasons.

First of course being his brother. He could not believe that he was going to watch Tenya finally compete in the festival. Growing up he always felt proud that his younger sibling looked up to him and wanted to be a hero like he was, but now was the time for Tenya to shine and prove who he was. All those times training together were bound to pay off on the stage. Tensei chuckled thinking of his brothers stiff movements when talking, imagining him on the podium giving a speech to the rest of the arena.

Next it was the festival itself. Ever since he competed in it when he was in school, Tensei always tried to watch it. He loved seeing the varying events each year and the intense competition that came out of it. But it was also a great opportunity to watch for possible recruits in the future. With so much talent in one place, it was an easy scouting ground for up and coming sidekicks that could join his ranks. Most years he tried to get at least one to come and join him and see what they could do.

And then there was Katara.

It was so strange how this random girl that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and came into his life. What started his night as a simple as any could changed when he heard the call of a mysterious water quirk user evading other heroes. He went to investigate when he came across the young girl and Endeavor combating each other. He was just about to run in and restrain her from behind, but when the collateral damage from their battle was about to crush that child, he was blown away when he watched her risk her life to save the young boy. He took her in and learned so many interesting things about her, and was happy to see her seemingly finding her place in her new home.

He couldn't help but smirk while walking to the door when he thought about what his brother said the other day. "I wonder who's going to come out on top after today." The sudden ring in his pocket stopped him before he could grab the door handle however. He pulled it out and frowned at the caller ID showing his office, answering it and putting it to his ear.

"Hey there, can you make this quick? I'm trying to head to the festival and-

"Sir! You need to get in here right away!"

Tensei's eyebrow raised in surprise to the erratic tone in his secretaries voice. "What's wrong?"

"There is a situation that we found just now. You better come in!" the females voice yelled out.

While he had the urge to go and find out what was going on, the fact that two important people to him were about to compete today was eating at the back of his head. It was more than just a sports festival, he promised he would be there to cheer them on today. He huffed out and adjusted the phone in his hand.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but I cannot come in today. The festival starts soon, and I promised my brother and his friend I'd be there to watch them. Call everyone else who is available and send this-

"Sir, you don't understand…" the stressed voice took a breath to calm herself. "… The one you've been looking for. We found him."

The heart inside the heroes chest felt like it stopped beating the moment he heard those words. He didn't need to ask who she was talking about, for his mind already put it together. His memory began replaying the dozens of gruesome images he had seen over the last year. All of the faces of those hurt by the one she referred to. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead as he swallowed the small lump in his throat. "Where was he sighted?" he quietly asked.

"It was this morning, sir. He's here… he's in Hosu."

Tensei's blood ran cold to the revelation he had just received. He pulled the phone away and ended the call despite the voice yelling to him still. He couldn't believe it… for the last year he had been watching the cases across Japan, trying to figure out the next place the hero killer was going to arrive. And now… against all odds the deranged criminal had come to where he was stationed. His fist clenched as his brow hardened into a look he had dawned very few times. "I finally know where you are now."

He threw the door open stormed down the hall of his families home and entered the armory room. Tensei flipped the light on and opened up the steel cabinet and revealed his set of armor inside. His fists clenched as he stared at the outfit he owned, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry you two… I won't be seeing you at the festival today. I have a job to do."

* * *

"YOOOOOO WHAT'S UP PEOPLE! ARE YOU READY TO GET THIS FESTIVAL GOING!?"

The massive stadium erupted in applause as they cheered on to Present Mic's announcement. Tens of thousands screamed in excitement for the massive event to finally begin. High above the large grass field inside, the DJ hero happily revved up the crowd as the fireworks burst in the sky.

"NOW HERE IS YOUR TWO HOSTS FOR THIS GRAND EVENT! AT YOUR HUMBLE SERVICE IS I, PRESENT MIC! AND HERE TO HELP ALONG IS THE ONE AND ONLY ERASUREHEAD!"

"You yell too much…" Aizawa groaned from his seat next to his screaming friend.

"ISN'T HE LIVELY, Y'ALL!?" Erasure grinned seeing how much Aizawa hated the spotlight before he turned back to the field. "NOW LET'S NOT KEEP THESE GAMES WAITING ANY LONGER. LET'S START THE FIRST YEAR CLASSES OFF WITH THE FIRST HERO COURSE. THESE CRAZY KIDS SURVIVED A REAL VILLAIN ATTACK, AND NOW ARE HERE TO SHOW YOU ALL WHAT THEY GOT. THE HERO COURSE CLASS 1-A!"

On cue to his call out, the class walked out into the sunlight as the crowds cheered them on. Katara was blown away by the loud, her head on a swivel as she turned to look around to the sheer amount of people watching them. There were more people in this one arena than most cities back in her world!

"This is crazy…" she mumbled out loud.

"Agreed. I hope we can preform to our best with so many eyes on us." Tenya said as he walked by her side.

"This is pretty cool." Kirishima whistled looking up to the screaming fans all around. "I feel like I'm already a pro! How 'bout you, Bakugo?"

Looking out, Bakugo couldn't help but smirk in excitement. "This is perfect. Now everyone will see me become number one."

"DON'T THEY LOOK READY!?" Mic boomed out to the crowd. "NOW LET'S GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE OTHERS IN THE HERO COURSE! THE STUDENT'S OF CLASS 1-B!"

Katara turned around and saw Kendo leading out the class from the tunnel next to theirs, the red head smiling out to the crowd. She then frowned when she saw Monoma smugly walking as well, his eyes looking towards her as he smirked. _'Great, him again.'_

"NOW WE HAVE THE STUDENTS FROM GENERAL STUDIES! CLASSES C,D AND E!"

Present Mic continued his introductions for the support courses in classes F, G and H, and the business courses from class I, J and K. the field was now swarmed with hundreds of students all crowded together. "Wow, I had no idea there was this many students in the school." Katara said out loud.

"It is amazing, and this is only the first years here." Tenya responded and looked up to the crowd smiling. "I am sure Tensei is eager to see us compete."

Katara couldn't help but smile, still so grateful his brother had been there that night so many months ago.

"Now, all of you young studs out there… quiet down now as we prepare for the opening speech!"

Katara turned back forward to the sudden female voice over the speakers, curious to who it was and-

"What in the…" she felt herself blush in surprise when she caught sight of the teacher/ hero Midnight up on a podium. The woman was in what looked like a skin tight suit that was no thicker than a cloth of tissue paper. She could hear the audience (well mostly the males of course) gushing and whistling out to the exotic hero posing to the crowd. "Is that really necessary?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, someone should tell Midnight what she is wearing may be too much." Kirishima mumbled in embarrassment.

Tokoyami nodded in agreement. "Is that outfit really appropriate for a high school event?"

"Hell yeah it is!" Mineta growled out from below, the line of drool on his chin splattering on the ground.

Midnight snapped the flogger whip in her hand silencing the crowd. "Now that we are here, we shall have a student deliver the opening speech. That will be Kairi Katara from class 1-A."

"What!?" Katara yelled out in shock. "Why me!?"

"Maybe it is because you are the class rep." Shoji whispered in from the side.

Momo shook her head. "I think it's since you got the top score at the entrance exams. It makes sense why you would speak."

Katara sat still in disbelief. She had to speak in front of everyone!? "But what am I supposed to say?"

"Just say something inspiring. Something that gets us all pumped!" Kirishima grinned.

Frozen in place, Katara was still confused. "But do I just-

The shove in her back from Mina silenced her words. "Shut it and get your butt up there!" she giggled as she heard Katara yelp.

Catching her balance, Katara walked awkwardly through her classmates to the podium steps and made her way up to the top. She glanced out to the crowd, looking at the hundreds of faces looking back up to her. It's not like she was new to speeches, but she had an idea what she was doing in those times at least. She then saw several faces from class B staring up to her. Some were friendly like Kendo's, but then she frowned at the looks she received from a certain blonde and a few others.

"Tsk. Of course they give the spotlight to 1-A. Typical of UA to do something like this." Monoma sighed out.

"This is bull. How about give our class the chance to finally get out of their shadow?" Tetsutetsu growled and pouted, earning an eye roll from Kendo.

"You do realize she got the top entrance score, right? That's why she is speaking." she muttered in annoyance to her classmates egos.

Overhearing a few others in the other classes complaining why she got to speak, Katara felt a sting of annoyance. Once again it wasn't like she chose to be the speaker, it just so happened to be like that. But… she also felt a small sense of pity. She had learned the lower ranked classes not in the hero course felt inferior to hers, their powers were not near what most of the hero courses were capable of. It reminded her of the many times she would hear non benders claim how unfair life was because they could not compete with the likes of benders. All simply due to the fact they were born differently.

But she knew that could be proven wrong. She knew so many people who with hard work became powerful warriors without a single power of their own. She then thought of what to say. Stepping forward towards the mic, Katara took a deep breath. From the top of the arena, Aizawa stared intently at the waterbender, curious what she would say now.

"Hello everyone. I know some of you may not know me, but I am just as surprised to be up here as any of you. In fact, me being here at this school is still surprising… and being here in Japan is all so new to me still." she glanced towards Tenya momentarily, her thoughts going back to her first night she arrived. she then began thinking of the one who helped her and gave her a chance to start over.

"But someone was kind enough to give me the chance to experience something new, to learn about place I never expected to be in. And here at this school, I have the chance to get stronger, to learn from great people and train with new and amazing friends. But this day is different. It isn't about me, or any one other person. This day is about all of us, everyone who worked hard to get into this school and want to reach the next level."

The glares she was receiving earlier began to fade as her words continued.

"Some of you may feel intimidated because others have powerful abilities that you don't have. But I have known amazing people in my life that were just as strong as I am, and they… they didn't even have a quirk. It is not the power that makes you, but what you do with yourself that defines you. I want everyone here to look inside and find that drive deep down and pull it out. This is the time for all of us to show the world what we can do. The time for all of you to shine is now. Take this chance and prove why you all want to be heroes!"

…

…

…

A deep silence hung in the air after Katara finished her words. She glanced out in surprise as every set of eyes were locked onto her, but no one even made a sound. Even the audience stayed quiet to the things she said, causing her heartrate to jump. 'Did I say something-

The eruption of cheers was so loud the entire arena seemed to shake. Both the audience and the students screamed out in response to the words she spoke. The lower classes were especially enthusiastic, feeling like they were being spoken to directly from the dark haired girl on the podium. Smiling, Katara walked back down the step and was immediately swarmed by her friends happy with what she said.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Kirishima yelled out in glee.

Momo whistled out and clapped enthusiastically with everyone else. "Now that was a speech." she cheered out.

Tenya clapped his hands to the powerful speech she gave, hoping to give his best as well. Midoriya also stayed silent as he watched Katara smiling and chatting with the others, feeling a large sense of pride swelling inside from what she said. He clenched his fist and smiled up to the sky. "She's right All Might. This is my chance to show the world." He whispered out loud.

Even Monoma, as much as he didn't want to, had to clap his hands to her words. Kendo chuckled at his annoyed face. "At least you are showing some respect. That was a good speech." she suddenly heard what sounded like sniffling to her left, confused when she saw Tetsutetsu hunched over and clutching his chest. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The gray haired teen shook as he stared down to the ground. "We aren't supposed to be friendly to them. They are our rivals. But…" he looked up to the sky, revealing the large tears in his eyes. "That speech was so beautiful!"

Kendo rolled her eyes and smiled back up to the podium, joining in with the crowd and clapping. "Yes it was."

As the applause began to fade, Midnight snapped her whip as she gathered their attention once more. "What an arousing speech! Great words for you kids to go off!"

The students all stared awkwardly to the word choice she used. "Arousing!?" they all muttered.

"Now lets see what the first event of the festival will be!" Midnight whipped her hand up in the air. A digital screen popped up behind the risque teacher, the large spinning wheel going until it stopped on the first challenge.

"The first challenge will be an obstacle race!" Midnight declared to all the students staring up to her. "All eleven classes will compete together in a treacherous course already prepared for today. The four kilometer course circles the stadium and leads you right back here. And I also want to point out this game is not a time for you to be restrained."

The erotic hero licked her lips to the confused students. "You heard me right. You are free to do whatever you wish with your quirks. No holding back as long as you are able to cross the finish line! Now make your way to that starting line and get ready!"

Following her words, Katara turned and walked with the others towards the large tunnel on the south side of the arena. She glanced down to her water canteen on her side, grateful she was allowed to keep this on. Apparently the school had a rule where no school designed costumes were allowed in the festival to keep it fair for everyone. She was happy to hear from the school they were allowed things that you personally made or brought so you did not get school made advantages. While she had other ways to get water, it was certainly an easier start to just have some to begin with. She looked around to the hundreds of other students and frowned.

"This is going to be a crowded start." She mumbled out as she lined up next to Iida. She looked up to her friend and gave a grin. "Good luck to you out there."

He gave a nod back to her and looked forward, a grin across his face as well. "Same to you. I will be waiting at the finish line."

Katara raised her eyebrow to the claim and snickered. "I guess we will see who gets there first."

The crowd went silent as the students all watched the three glowing lights above the doorway. After a few moments only two remained on. When the last one remained, Katara took a deep breath and readied herself. And then the light went out.

"Begin!" Midnight screamed, causing the first years to stampede into the corridor.

Katara kicked off the ground and ran after everyone else. Tenya of course sprinted right passed her and began weaving his way through the thick crowd. While at first annoyed by his head start, she realized it was somewhat in vain as the narrow tunnel was soon a congested mess of students trying to move more than an inch.

"Well this is already a pain…" Katara grumbled as she saw the wedged teens trying to get passed one another. Not more than a few seconds later did she begin feeling people starting to crash into her back and smash her into the group ahead. "Ow, hey I- Agh, my foot!" she snapped back as a thick hoof came down and pressed her foot to the ground. She glared back at the culprit but saw he was just as crushed as she was, the horse looking teen being shoved back and forth by the others trying to make there way up.

"Ten seconds in and this happens!" she growled and looked to the ceiling above. Wedging herself back to give just a few inches of clearance, Katara popped open her canteen and shot a stream of water and froze it to the rail above. Using the end attached to her arm, she yanked herself through the mob up and out of the crowd, happy to have a few inches of breathing room once again. She looked down and saw several of her classmates also stuck inside the crowd trying to break loose from the pack. While she had the urge to pull some of them out and help, she remembered this was supposed to be a competition for everyone.

"Sorry guys, but this is a race." She said to herself and pulled herself up higher to the ceiling. Bringing some of the water to her other arm, Katara began swinging her body through the corridor from the water whips, continuing to latch on the top and make her way out. "Almost there." the grinned when she saw the doorway just in sight.

Just then however, she felt a cold chill run through the air. A burst of ice and frost whipped throughout the entire corridor, the cloudy mist blocking Katara's view for a few moments as she hug from her spot. Glaring, she took a deep breath and blew out, her bending pushing all of the icy mist out of the air away from her and revealing a shocking sight. A thin sheet of ice now covered the ground and had pinned down the vast majority of kids in the crowd. She swung herself through the end of the tunnel and came into the sunlight to see the ground out here was all ice still, and Todoroki running out ahead of everyone.

"Getting a head start, I see." Katara said out loud as she landed on the ground. Putting her water away, she smiled seeing the ice everywhere. "This is perfect."

Looking over his shoulder, Shoto glared seeing the first one out of the tunnel behind him. "Of course she would be the first out behind me." While disappointed, he somewhat expected that to happen, knowing how talented she was. What he didn't expect though was the moment she swung her arms to her side, he watched as Katara burst forward and skated across the surface after him.

"WOAH CHECK THIS OUT, EVERYONE! IT SEEMS KAIRI KATARA FROM CLASS 1-A IS USING TODOROKI'S OWN ABILITY TO GET A KICK START! SO COOL!" Present Mic's voice rang through the air over the speakers.

Using her arms to propel her body, Katara skimmed across the ice as she was in pursuit of the leader, making sure she was gathering ice as she went. After just a few moments she had enough bended water to cover both of her arms and her shoulders in a thick water jacket. "Now I don't need to worry about water with him here." Katara chuckled to herself, seeing an endless supply of water to use here. The sudden explosion behind her however made her turn and frown once again.

Leading the charge out of the tunnel was Bakugo blasting through the sky with many of class 1-A in hot pursuit. his almost rabid looking face stuck out in the crowd. Momo, Tokoyami, Ojiro, Mina, Kirishima and even Aoyama led the group behind the explosive teen as they used their quirks to keep themselves from getting stuck.

"You are gonna pay for that shit you icy hot bastard!" Bakugo screamed out as he put both hands behind him and launched through the sky after the leader.

"Nice trick, Todoroki!" Momo sneered as she created a steel pole from her hands to vault herself over the ice. Ojiro used his thick tail to propel himself above the slippery surface, much to the same of dark shadow for Tokoyami. Aoyama launched through the air with his belly laser, although that only lasted a second before he landed with a thud on his bottom.

"Ugh! My tummy!" the french student groaned and clutched his abdomen.

"I told you that was -woah! Your quirk hurts you!" Mina yelled as she stumbled passed the sick blonde, her acid squirting out from her shoes and keeping her from sticking.

Frowning to seeing them after him, Shoto then noticed the large number of other classes now through the tunnel and after them. "I didn't expect so many from the other classes to be out already." He then caught sight of Katara closing in on him, the ice in fact helping her pick up speed. Grunting out, he ended the ice path on the ground knowing it would eventually help the others, but he also couldn't give her an advantage to use either. Once he stepped on the dirt, he sprinted off and left the others behind.

Katara however only grinned when she saw the approaching dirt path ahead of her. "Time to really get going now."

Just before the end of the ice, Katara brought both hands up and bended a large sheet of ice back into water and brought it to her legs. The moment she reached the dirt, the swirling pool of water picked her up and swept her forward, her body seemingly surfing much to the others surprise.

"Woah, now that is pretty sweet!" Kirishima watched as the waterbender shot forward on the path far ahead of everyone else.

Midoriya's mouth dropped in amazement to his friend's talent, somewhat jealous he didn't have control of his quirk like that. "I need a lot more training." he groaned as he slowly stepped after the others keeping his balance on the ice still.

Todoroki rounded the pathway and kept his pace expecting to keep his lead for sometime. When he turned his head to watch how close the others were, he was shocked to see Katara suddenly surfing a thick stream of water right passed him and into the lead.

"What the!?" he shouted in surprise as the dark skinned swept ahead of him, their eyes locked onto each other as they switched placing.

"WOAH! IN A FLASHY SHOW OF TALENT, KATARA HAS TAKEN THE LEAD OVER TODOROKI!" Mic's voice echoed out, bringing a loud roar of cheers from the audience watching. His co host stared intently as his unique student displayed the extent of her abilities, the dark haired teacher narrowing his eyes.

' _She really does have high versatility with her bending,'_ Aizawa thought to himself as he watched the controlled water carry her along _. 'What else can she do with that bending of hers?'_

Surfing along the path, Katara's arms guided the water forward and kept her speed so her lead continued. She was just about passed the single path entering a larger clearing when several of the small robots from the entrance exam now stood in her way. "These things again…" she grunted and brought up two streams of water to her hands and shot out ice spikes into the two closest bots before slashing through a third. Smirking at the easy obstacle she continued forward, but when the light above her suddenly vanished, she looked up and shot her eyes open in disbelief before skidding to a stop.

"No way…"

Standing in the way was not just one, but five of the large 0-point robots that she had faced back on the entrance exams. The large machines towered above the ground staring down towards her, and in between each one were dozens more of the smaller bots scattered throughout the plaza.

"You've got to be kidding me." she grumbled out as Todoroki and the others stopped behind her as well.

"Woah, are you serious!? Just one of those things were crazy back in the test!" Kaminari screamed out.

"This is far too much for a race!" Tenya yelled as he skidded to a halt.

"NOW WHAT DO WE GOT HERE!? THE FIRST MAJOR OBSTACLE OF THE COURSE! LET'S SEE WHAT YOU ALL DO IN THIS SITUATION!" Mic screamed out to the change in pace.

Remembering how much trouble that one robot gave her before, Katara was grateful she had the water to fight this time. She braced herself as one of the lead zero pointer's approached, but was surprised as Todoroki walked passed her to face the steel army alone. "What do you think you are doing?" she questioned him.

Shoto didn't even bother turning back to her as he walked forward, sighing to the machines in front of him. "This is what all of you faced during your entrance exams. Such a disappointment..." His right hand became enshrouded in frost as he exhaled. "If they wanted to challenge us, they should have given us something more difficult."

Slamming his palm into the ground, a large section of the street ripped apart from the ice breaking through the earth, the dual hair colored teen glaring up, his mind not seeing the robots… but the one person he wanted to prove wrong.

"Especially since dear old dad is watching me."

With a swing of his arm, a massive blast of ice ripped through the street and enshrouded all of the massive robots in place. Katara's mouth fell in disbelief as every single one of the five zero point robots were locked in place in a matter of seconds, all of this power coming from one person alone. The other students were also stunned in shock from how much stronger he was than everyone else, the lower ranked classes even feeling uncertain to even continue the race any longer.

Exhaling out a cool stream of frost, Todoroki ran forward underneath the frozen robots, leaving Katara in amazement once more.

" _He is so powerful… probably stronger than any waterbender I have ever seen..."_ She growled internally as she charged after him. While she couldn't tell it at the moment, she had a small smirk on her face. Ever since she faced and defeated Hama, she had secretly wondered if there were any waterbenders more powerful than that. It seemed she had finally found a new challenger.

**Notes: alrighty people, the festival has started! Once again Todoroki showing off his powers. But Katara is getting pumped!**


	21. Revealed Tension

The audience screamed in excitement to the incredible display of power on the large screens. The eruption of ice from Todoroki sent a wave of cheers as the crowd gushed over his powers.

"It's amazing! How can a first year be so strong!?"

"That's what you would expect from the son of the number two hero!"

"Man, Endeavor sure does got some strong genes to have a kid this strong already!"

In the center level of the arena, the flames on Endeavor's body flickered as he stood watching his son go to work. While some assumed one would be proud and excited to see their kids power, he simply stood there scowling at the monitor.

"Still being so damn stubborn…" he growled and crossed his arms. "Doing this competition with just your right side is a fools gamble."

"WOAH, CHECK THIS OUT! SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING IN TODOROKI'S FOOTSTEPS!"

the flame hero's eyes widened to Present mic's announcement, surprised another student was already that close after seeing that-

"What the…" the fire on Endeavor's shoulders flared up when he saw the flowing water shoot out through the mist and slash through an incoming small bot. His eyes narrowed in anger when katara broke through the cloud and immediately continued her pursuit after his prized creation.

"Damn her… that stupid brat…" his fingers clenched his forearms hard as he stared to the waterbender on screen. "Don't you dare disappoint me Shoto."

* * *

As she ran through the frozen legs of the large robots, Katara could see the ice already beginning to break off from some of them. The metallic limbs began moving as they shook off their ice prisons, their big red eyes looking down to the students below.

"So he didn't freeze them all the way so they would hold all of us back," Katara said to herself as she waved her arms creating several ice spikes around her, "He's pretty smart too."

She noticed a group of smaller bots rolling straight towards her, causing her to sigh in annoyance. "I don't have time for little ones like this."

The ice shot forward and pierced the heads of the group in her way before she saw more beginning to gather around. She looked ahead and saw Todoroki was now much further up the road with a decent size lead at this point. Seeing if she kept dealing with these small ones, it would be that much harder to catch up with him later. Seeing the small window she had, Katara pulled over a fallen sheet of ice nearby and hopped onto it before she bended another wave of water to carry her forward and swiftly passed the army of robots. Just before she was out of sight she glanced over her shoulder and felt a small bit of guilt to the others now trapped behind the freed machines.

"Sorry guys, if this were a fight I'd help you… but this is different today." She told herself before turning back forward and surfing down the path.

Back behind the robot obstacle, the rest of the students looked up in shock to what they should do.

"Jeez, Todoroki and Katara made it through, but what the hell are we supposed to do!?" Kaminari cried out as one of the giant robots began coming forward.

"You really do cry a lot, don't you…" Jiro moaned out while she glared to the frowning electric user.

"Will you stop bugging me about that!?"

Tenya stared ahead passed the robots however, seeing Katara much further up the road passed them… and further ahead than he was. He furrowed his brow and took a deep breath. "If I sit here, then once again I will have let you beat me, Katara…" he braced his feet and readied his stance. "And I told you I would see you at the end!"

In a blur of movement, Tenya rushed forward leaving a wake of dust in his trail. The others watched in amazement as he jetted straight into the fray of machines, dodging and weaving through the incoming arms as they crashed towards him. He yelled out and kicked his way through a two pointer bot before landing back down and sprinting after the two leaders. As one of the large zero pointers came closer, the other students backed in caution as it approached.

Well, not all of them.

"Ahh!" Bakugo roared out as he blasted his way through the sky and over the top of the robots head. "You think you can get away from me Icy hot!? This race is mine!" He screamed and launched forward after the leaders. In a quick follow up, Tokoyami and Sero also pulled themselves over the robots and flung after Bakugo.

"WOW LOOK AT THEM GO! THAT CLASS 1-A SURE HAS SOME ENERGETIC TEENS IN THEIR GROUP! YOU MUST HAVE TAUGHT THEM SOME CRAZY STUFF!"

Aizawa stared at the monitor as Mic continued on his commentary, his eyes narrowing as his other students went forward as the other classes did not. "I didn't teach them anything. What they did is have their eyes opened. They experienced that attack, and had a true taste of fear put into their hearts. They now react on instinct and go forward."

The teachers eyes then saw Midoriya grabbing a broken chunk of a robot and using it as a weapon, bringing a tiny smirk to his face. "They are all adapting to their situations and overcoming what stands in their way. I just guided them in the right direction."

Back on the pathway, Midoriya ran along with the others to push their way through, but to everyones surprise the large robots began getting blown away one after the other. The heads exploded in powerful blasts knocking them back and out of commission. "Woah, how did they just…" he turned around and-

"Uhhhh…" his face burned red once again as he caught sight of Yaoyorozu aiming a cannon she created that took out the machines. Although, his eyes were drawn to the open shirt she had on revealing her stomach and sports bra underneath. As she set her weapon down and ran forward, she caught site of him looking and glared.

"Don't even say anything." She growled as she passed him buttoning her shirt back up. Once she ran by him, she couldn't help but cross her arms over her chest and blush. _'The way he was looking… he better not be thinking of that moment_ _when we_ _… Ah, damn you Katara!'_

* * *

Far ahead of the majority, Todoroki sprinted down the dirt and skidded to a stop when he suddenly came to the second obstacle; the path ended and now you had to cross a massive ravine. Thin tight ropes connected the narrow columns of stone that jutted up inside of the gully connecting to the other side. He turned around and saw not Only Katara gaining ground, but Bakugo slowly coming through the air. He frowned to himself and looked forward again.

"I thought I'd have more time ahead of the others." He said as he walked to the edge. Grunting, he jumped forward and landed onto the nearest rope and activated his ice shooting him forward across the top.

Katara rushed over the ground on her water as she sped forward. She could See the large canyon ahead of her but didn't stop. She could see Todoroki already more than halfway across the obstacle from where she was. If she stopped to analyze it she was going to lose too much ground. And the glance over her shoulder earlier revealed Bakugo right behind her as well. She grunted in annoyance seeing he was so close, but then she noticed something else rushing towards her on the ground, the familiar blue hair making her grin.

"So Iida is right behind he too." she said, happy to see he made it passed the robots too. She then grinned and looked forward again. "I'm still going to see you at the end like you said."

As she approached the edge, she saw the rope covered in ice from the leaders quirk, giving her a great idea. Summoning her water back up to her arms, she jumped into the air and shot her water whips forward catching onto the ice rope and yanking herself onto it. Using her bending she skimmed across the top effortlessly to the first rock platform before she ran forward and skimmed across the next.

"CHECK IT OUT! IT SEEMS TODOROKI HAS CROSSED THE SECOND OBSTACLE! BUT WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE!? KATARA IS RIGHT ON HIS HEELS AND USING HIS ICE TO HER ADVANTAGE! CLEVER!"

The announcement caused Todoroki to glare in annoyance, not even turning around as he ran up the steps. "Damn, I should have figured she would do that." he grunted before he reached the top of the steps and came across a massive dirt clearing littered with landmines. He growled out at the sight, knowing his large lead here was going to be gone very soon.

While he began traversing slowly through the mines, Katara just reached the other side and sprinted up after him. Bakugo roared out as he saw her done with the obstacle and running up the steps, bringing his arms forward before he threw them back to launch himself faster.

"Don't think you'll stay ahead either, hair loops!"

Iida stared at the ropes for a few moments before he glanced up to Bakugo overhead flying by. He then caught a glimpse of Katara ahead on the steps, bringing a glare to his face. He took a breath and braced himself. "My brother is watching me. I must impress him and look great today!"

"THAT LOOKS RIDICULOUS THERE!" Mic shouted as Iida awkwardly balanced on the tightrope and skimmed across with his quirk.

As the other students began gathering at the ropes, they looked ahead as some of their classmates blew through the obstacle like nothing.

"Man, how are we supposed to do this as fast as them!?" Mina whined out before Tsu hopped out with no fear.

"Ribbit." She croaked out and casually climbed across the top without a care in the world.

The hesitation of most of them to rush into the obstacle allowed many of the class B students to catch up now. The vine haired girl Shiozaki used her quirk to create steps over the ropes for herself, and was careful enough not to leave them there as she passed for the others. Others began making their ways across as well, meaning those who waited too long would be left behind. Grunting to herself, Yaoyorozu walked to the edge and extended her arm out, conjuring a clamp and a motorized grapple before jumping out and catching the underside of another cable. Snapping the motor onto it, she zipped through the canyon onward towards the columns.

"If I wait too long, I'll fall too far behind. I have to push forward!" She yelled out as she caught her footing on one of the rock outings before jumping onto the next cable and shooting off.

Midoriya, much like a large majority of the other contestants clung awkwardly to the bottom of a rope and scooted themselves across. His was much harder as he still carried the robotic arm on his back. "It's heavy, but it may come in handy later." He grunted out as he pulled himself along.

* * *

Back across the canyon, Katara had reached the top of the steps and caught sight of Todoroki once again. She was surprised to see him not that far across the dirt field in front of her, but noticing him walking slow with his eyes to the ground. Looking down herself, she noticed the strange darker circles littered across the entire plain in front of her.

"What is all this stuff?" She whispered to herself, seeing the "danger" sign to her right. Curious, she gathered a small ball of water and threw it onto one of the nearby spots, but was completely caught off guard to what came next, yelping out at the bright pink explosion from the ground.

"What kind of race is this?" she yelled out in shock as she took a step back. She looked back forward and saw these were everywhere, so running across them was not an option. Curious, she bended a stream of her water out and gently spread it out across the ground. The sheet of water crawled out and went over the top of one of the mines…. But it didn't explode.

"So it takes more pressure to set those things off," Katara grinned to herself as she discovered this revelation, "But if I can keep my weight off them I will be fine."

Taking all of her water off of her body and placing it to the ground, Katara thick sheet of liquid and stepped onto the center. Making sure she kept her weight off the ground, she waved her hands forward as the mass of water began crawling across the ground at a speedwalker's pace.

"WOW! ONCE AGAIN KATARA IS USING HER QUIRK IN SUCH A CREATIVE WAY!" Mic yelled out in excitement to the display, With Aizawa eyeing her with amazement.

' _She is dispersing her weight across the water's surface to not trigger the mines. Very smart. Her classroom scores are below average, but her ability in the field… she really is something else.'_ he said to himself.

Looking behind himself, Todoroki glared as he saw Katara quickly gaining on the distance between them. "Damn it, she can still use her quirk here?" He grunted to himself. He looked behind her and saw a large number of students at the landmine section now. "This obstacle was set up to slow the leaders down and give the others time to catch up."

He looked to his feet, cursing himself for the situation. "I can use my ice to get across faster, but then it gives a path for the others. And… gives her material to use." he grunted out thinking of Katara once again.

"GET BACK HERE, ICY HOT!"

Both Todoroki and Katara turned back to see Bakugo blasting just above the ground straight towards them.

"Damn, I was hoping to be further ahead." Shoto growled and tried increasing his pace faster.

Baring his teeth, Bakugo rocketed through the air blasting behind himself, glaring as he came quick onto Katara. Seeing someone else in front of him made him even more enraged, bringing one of his hands forward. "Get out of my way too, hair loops!"

Katara's eyes went wide as he shot a blast directly towards her head. She ducked just fast enough as the explosion erupted right by her hair. "Are you serious!?"

Mic stood up from his seat in excitement from the turn of events. "WOAH, BAKUGO JUST SHOOK THINGS UP AND TOOK A SHOT TOWARDS KATARA! THINGS ARE HEATING UP RIGHT NOW!"

Catching her balance, Katara glared and bended an ice spike from below. "You want to fight here? Then fine!"

Bakugo sneered back and brought both hands forward real fast and detonated the incoming ice into a hundred pieces before launching himself forward towards Todoroki. "You're just in my way! I want you, you double colored bastard!"

Todoroki turned around as Bakugo came baring towards him. He grunted in annoyance and spun around and shot out a column of ice. Bakugo roared out and began blasting the ice away and continued his charge. "Don't think that's going to stop me!"

"CHECK IT OUT! BAKUGO HAS NOW TIED FOR FIRST PLACE!" Mic's voice rang out as he watched, yelling out in surprise as the two began going after each other once more. "OHH WHAT A CHANGE! BAKUGO AND TODOROKI ARE NOW TRADING BLOWS AS THEY RACE DOWN THE TRACK!"

Todoroki growled out and shot another blast of ice at the enraged teen, only for the ice to explode in another flash from Bakugo's hands. He hated the fact he had to not only deal with evading Bakugo's attacks, but he had to keep his eyes on the ground to avoid the landmines scattered everywhere. If he had just one thing to focus on he would have no trouble. He wanted to end this. He dropped down and slammed his foot onto the ground to create a column of ice and shoot at Bakugo. The exploding teen bared his teeth and prepared to blow it up, but before it reached him it shattered into a dozen smaller spikes and shoot up into the sky.

"What kind of stupid trick is this?" Bakugo sneered at the floating ice, glaring back at Todoroki… but was confused when he looked just as confused as himself.

"He's not doing that. I am."

They both turned back to see Katara with her open hands facing the sky controlling the ice. The two teens stared for a second before she yelled and threw her arms towards the ground, immediately followed by the spikes shooting down towards them. They both brought their hands out ready to destroy the icicles, but to their surprise the ice spread out and struck the ground all around them.

Each one striking a different land mine.

"Oh shi-

Shoto's words were cut off by the chain of explosions that enveloped both him and Bakugo in a blinding flash. Katara grinned and swung her arms pushing the water beneath her.

"WOW! BOTH BAKUGO AND TODOROKI WERE CAUGHT IN A BLAST CREATED BY KATARA, AND SHE TOOK THE LEAD AGAIN!"

The crowd wildly screamed out to the crazy turn of events all of the sudden, with some of the pros losing their minds over this girl that was taking this event by storm.

"Wow, that girl has a crazy quirk! She controls water and ice better than most pros!"

"Seriously. She's rivaling Endeavor's kid and that Bakugo student."

"I thought Endeavor's son was going to sweep this thing. Looks like we have a new kid to watch out for."

While the different heroes chatted in excitement to this new girl, Endeavor's fire flared out over his shoulders and face as he stared up at the screen. "Don't you fail me, Shoto. Don't you dare fail me!"

Katara pushed herself slightly faster to try and use this advantage to gain some space, but the next moment a burst of ice shot forward from the smoke before Todoroki launched out of the cloud. His clothes were cluttered with small burn patches all across the surface as he glared at the waterbender, catapulting himself across the ice path he made. Not a second passed before Bakugo screamed out in anger and blasted through the air after her, his face stained with dirt from the blast.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU WATER WITCH!"

Katara eye twitched to the insult he yelled out, but she ignored it and focused on her water to carry her faster. She had to keep her mind on the ground to divert the pressure of her weight just a little more. The end of the field was only a few more feet and then she could-

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the field from the back of the mine field, causing every set of eyes to turn back to the giant cloud erupting upwards into the sky. Present Mic was speechless for a few moments before he caught sight of a single figure flying through the air, riding a scorched piece of metal below himself.

'I DON'T BELIEVE THIS FOLKS! WE HAVE SOMEONE RIDING AN EXPLOSION FROM THE REAR! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA, AND HE'S BLASTING HIS WAY TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE PACK!"

"Midoriya!? What the heck!?" Mina yelled out in shock as she watched him fly right passed her.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Jiro gasped out as the green haired teen rushed passed the rest of them. She had seen him digging in the back for some weird reason, but had no idea he was creating a stockpile of mines to launch himself with!

While most of the back students watched in awe, Tenya saw this and grunted to himself. Activating his quirk, he sprinted across the mine field not even watching where he was stepping. He was barely outpacing the explosions in his wake, several making him stumble and fall onto the mines ahead. Another set of explosions came as two hardened students ran through the mine field against each other.

"This shit doesn't even hurt! It feels like a tickle!" Kirishima yelled out to his adversary even as he winced from a blast hitting his face.

"Oh yeah? I don't even feel this at all!" Tetsutetsu snapped back despite him yelping when a mine went off under his foot.

Back to the front of the race, the three leaders stared in disbelief as Midoriya soared through the sky and was heading straight for the ground behind them. Katara watched in fear as he came close to slamming into the mine field, but before he did he swung the metal he rode into the ground once more and launched him straight passed all of them. "What the… how did…" she shook her head and pushed forward.

"Deku!? The hell do you think you are doing!?" Bakugo screamed out as he watched Midoriya land just passed the mines and sprint down the road. Bringing his hands behind himself once again, he shot forward and chased after the others.

Sprinting as hard as his legs could carry him, Midoriya ran and ran. His adrenaline was through the roof from the fall he just survived and had somehow reached first place. He was almost there. He could see the tunnel leading to the arena. He was going to win!

"DEKU YOU BASTARD!"

Midoriya's blood ran cold when he heard the enraged scream from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see not only Bakugo, but Katara and Todoroki charging straight towards him. "Ahhhh! Come on legs move faster!"

His own speed however was no match for the trio's abilities as they rushed passed him and into the tunnel first. Bakugo's blasts shot him further ahead momentarilly as he kicked off one of the side walls for another boost, grinning as the light began growing brighter at the end. His grin faded when Todoroki ski passed him on the ice shooting out behind him. "Damn you, you icy ass hole!"

Shoto summoned more ice launching himself down the pathway before he ran his hand along the wall and created thick shards of ice throughout the corridor behind him. He hoped the obstacle would slow them down for even a moment, but the explosions from Bakugo ripped through them like nothing as the blonde teen came closer to him. He then saw a large section of ice he create suddenly shift into water and pulled towards the girl pursuing them both causing him to curse himself. "It's helping her…"

Now with a large supply to use, Katara through her arms back and launched herself forward on the surge beneath her body. The larger amount allowed herself to move even faster than before, closing the gap instantly before the three were neck and neck.

"THE THREE OF THEM ARE BURSTING DOWN THE CORRIDOR! IT'S SO CLOSE I CANNOT TELL WHO IS GOING TO TAKE IT!"

The trio pushed faster, each one gaining the advantage for a moment before another took the lead. It was back and forth, water, ice and explosions all ripping down the corridor simultaneously as they came closer to the end. Katara panted and lowered her body, pushing herself harder and faster as she inched ahead. Bakugo yelled in anger and increased his blasts speed and picking up another miniaturized boost. Shoto grunted as the ice on his right side began crawling up his arm but he ignored it, continuing the use of his quirk and pushing him across the tunnel floor and into the open. Before the even realized it, they crossed the finish line.

The crowd screamed in a frenzy to the insane race that had transpired. This was only the first event and it was insane! Even Mic could barely keep his composure for his commentary.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH! NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL A RACE! IT WAS SO CLOSE I COULDN'T EVEN TELL MYSELF! WHO WAS THE WINNER!?"

Letting the water fall to the ground, Katara took several deep breaths as he leaned on her knees. She continued to pant as she glanced over to Bakugo growling and stomping the ground in anger as he cursed out loud causing her glare at him. "Are you… never happy?" she huffed out between breaths.

"Shut the hell up, I'm only happy when I am number one!" he screamed out before turning away from her.

Shaking her head, she glanced over Todoroki panting as well, his right arm now covered in specs of ice. He locked eyes with her for a moment before glaring and turning away from her. She scrunched her face and stepped towards him. Before she could say anything, Mic's voice rang through the stadium.

"LISTEN UP, Y'ALL! WHILE THE OTHERS MAKE IT INSIDE HERE, WE HAVE FOUND OUT THE WINNER TO THE RACE. WHILE IT WAS CLOSE, THEY BARELY TOOK THE LEAD. THE WINNER IS…."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"KAIRI KATARA!"

Katara's mouth dropped open in shock to the announcement, hearing the crowd roar out in cheers and screams. She had hoped she had won, but to actually hear it sent a wave of happiness through her body. She was happy, but the other two were not.

Todoroki's breath caught in his throat when he heard the announcement. His fists clenched in frustration knowing he was so close, and yet he didn't beat her in this competition. His eyes shifted up into the crowd to see his fathers furious face. Grinding his teeth, he walked away from the few of them and closed his eyes, trying to calm the frustration in his mind.

"No… this is bullshit…" Bakugo clenched his teeth and gripped his knees. "How the hell… how did this happen?"

Now making his way out of the tunnel, Midoriya was catching his breath as he stood back up to the cheering crowd. He couldn't help but feel the excitement of the fans. He could not believe it, he made it through the course without even using his quirk. On top of that, he made it into the top five! It was almost too good to be true! His eyes looked up through the crowd and caught sight of a familiar head of yellow hair staring back down to him, with a large smile on his skinny face.

'All Might… I did it!' he clenched his fist and smiled back to his mentor, struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes. He clenched his fist in success, happy he had been able to continue on. He then noticed as more and more students came through the tunnel a familiar face cross the finish line. "U-Uraraka!" he stuttered out as she huffed over to him.

"Deku, you… made it here first!" she gasped out between breaths. "You were awesome."

Blushing, Midoriya turned away to the compliment, "I-it wasn't anything special. I j-just got lucky."

"No.. you did real- BLEH!"

"Huh!?" Midoriya gasped in shock as Uraraka covered her mouth and ran towards the restroom sign through the corridor. The green haired teen sighed realizing she had used her quirk too much again. "Oh… uh good luck in there."

Off by himself, Tenya sat staring at the ground in disappointment in himself. He was supposed to be fast, the brother of the turbo hero Ingenium… and he couldn't even win a simple race? His eyes then drifted up to see Katara standing there as other began congratulating her on her victory. Yes, he was happy that both he and she did well in this race, he just… hoped the outcome was somewhat different.

As the rest of the students made it through the gate, the crowd gave a final loud cheer as Midnight raised her hand to gain their attention. "So, all of you ran an impressive race, but only the top forty two students qualify for the next event. So here are the results!"

Screen behind lit up, showing off the column of names for the students and the crowd to see. Shoto however only glanced to the top ten column, clenching his fist seeing his placement in the rankings.

1\. Kairi Katara

2\. Shoto Todoroki

3\. Katsuki Bakugo

4.. Izuku Midoriya

5\. Ibara Shiozaki

6\. Tenya Iida

7\. Juzo Honenuki

8\. Fumigake Tokoyami

9\. Hanta Sero

10 Ejiro Kirishima

As the crowd finally began quieting down, Midnight spoke up again. "Now, let us see what our next event will be!" the screen behind Midnight began spinning rapidly, going on for a few moments before it stopped on the challenge.

"A Calvary battle?" Katara questioned out loud, "What is that?" Thankfully it seemed like others were confused as well, making her not feel so out of place. And it helped Midnight went straight into explaining it for all of them.

"This event will be started by you remaining students to make your own teams of two to four people. Also, each of you students will be assigned a point value based on your rankings from the last event. Your scores will be added together to create a team total for you to wear on a headband for the team leader. Your goal is to steal the other teams headbands and increase your score totals. The four teams with the highest total points will move onto the final event!"

"Ah so it's like flag football but with no ball. Cool." Kirishima chuckled out.

Shoji gave a small nod. "It is somewhat similar, but where do we find the totals for-

"Quiet you!" Midnight snapped her whip at the chatting teens, "You should shut up as I explain this game to you all!"

"Yes ma'am!" the two of them quickly answered in fear she may actually use that whip.

Brushing her hair away from her face, the sexual teacher continued her speech. "You are allowed to use your quirks as you like, but if the leader falls to the ground from the top of your teammates, they will all be disqualified. And stolen headbands must be worn on the neck or the head. No stuffing them inside your outfits! As for your score, they will start with five for the person in 42nd place and increase by five per student up the chart. But as a special bonus, the person in first place will be worth… ten million!"

…

…

…

…

"What!?" Katara yelled out in shock as every set of eyes looked at her instantly, bringing a sadistic grin to Midnight's face.

"That's right. This is the opportunity for those at the bottom to climb to the top! whoever has that band will be guaranteed a spot in the final competition! You have fifteen minutes to form your team, now get to it!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Katara moaned after hearing that. She figured being in the lead was going to make it easier for the next challenge, but instead it made it that she was the target for anyone else! "Talk about being fair."

Even as she looked around right then, she saw most of the others in her class had already turned away from where she was, even locking eyes with Ojiro he awkwardly shifted his eyes and walked away. Seeing that brought a frown to the waterbender's face. "Most think being the biggest target is going to be too hard to keep the points the whole time." She had to find some people who did not care about her score, and were willing to help her. And then she saw a single boy too nervous to ask others, bringing a smile to her face.

"Midoriya, you want to team up?"

Hearing his name called, Izuku jumped slightly in surprise before turning around. "What? Me?"

"Yeah, we should team up for this." Katara repeated herself, hoping he wasn't going to say no. Midoriya however was the one more surprised.

"But why me? I figured you'd ask others who could control their quirks better," he sighed as he twiddled with his thumbs. "I'm not sure if I can-

"Can you stop doubting yourself for one second?" She grunted before she gave a warm smile, "Besides, I think you proved enough in the race and back at the USJ."

Midoriya's heart clenched at the words she said to him. He was so new to getting compliments like this it was still hard to believe. He blushed slightly and rubbed his head. "Th-thanks. I appreciate it."

Chuckling at his face, Katara looked around to see some people already forming groups among the other classmates, meaning she had to work quick. She had one already set in her head, but she wanted one more, someone to be the final person. And then she locked eyes with a certain spiky haired girl.

"Yaoyorozu, you need a team?" she asked.

"I was looking, yes." Momo responded, earning a grin from Katara.

"Wanna work together? I've got one already and just need to ask Iida."

Before she answered, Momo glanced to the ground for a moment. While she felt a small lump in her stomach knowing Katara was the leader (meaning they were going to be hunted down like dogs by the rest of the teams), she also knew Katara was a good team player and would work well with anyone. To top it off, she knew Katara was one of the best in class and meant a near for sure chance of making it to the next round. And working with Iida meant speed to evade. This was actually a good scenario for her.

Looking back, she gave a nod and smiled. "Yes, let's do this."

Katara clapped her hands in success. "Perfect. Now that you are here, we should be good now. Let me talk to Iida real fast."

"So you said Iida, but who is your other-

Momo's eyes shot open when she saw Midoriya standing there behind Katara. He in was also shocked when he turned to see her and blushed as red as a tomato.

"Wait, him!?" she yelled and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Wait, her!?" he shouted and turned to Katara with pleading eyes.

Katara shook her head as they both refused to look at each other, reaching out and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Look, I know you both are… not very comfortable at the moment. That is on me with that day at the beach, so I apologize. But you are both good friends of mine and I really need your help. So I hope you are able to work together here, please."

the two of them looked at her before they glanced at each other for just a second before their faces burned and turned away.

"Fine. I'll do it." Momo moaned out.

"Eh I-I'll try!" Izuku rapidly nodded his head.

"Perfect!" Katara cast a giant smile and tapped both of them happily. "Now we just need to get Iida."

Turning and walking through the crowd, Katara looked around for Iida and finalize their team. She caught sight of her other two members following her silently, their heads turned opposite of each other. While she heard them say they were good, Katara frowned internally hoping they could work together. Her thoughts turned more positive when she saw who she was looking for.

"Iida, there you are!" Katara yelled as she jogged over to him. The taller teen turned as she approached. "I got two others for my team and we need our final member."

Tenya looked passed her and saw Midoriya and Yaoyorozu before looking back to her. Her happy smile and friendly eyes were always something that made him happy, a positive thing in his life that he had grown used to. She had become such a close friend to him in the last few months, in fact when he didn't see her it at his home it felt like there was someone missing from his life. He would always return a smile to her.

But today, he couldn't smile back.

"I am sorry Katara… but I cannot join you on your team."

The words shocked Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, both of them certain that he would be the final member of their team. Katara was even more confused than them, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "What? What do you mean?"

"You have become such a great friend to me over these months, but being so close it has also allowed me to see the difference between our abilities. The entrance exam, the quirk assessment test, and being chosen to be the class rep. Every time I think I have done well, you have surpassed me. If I join you for this event, then I will be staying in your shadow once more."

Glaring, Katara took a step towards him. "So because I beat you in a few things you are now too upset to work with me now?"

The accusation caused Iida to glare back. "It is not that I am angry I am losing to you, but if I simply follow you, the winner, I will not be helping myself. For my own pride I must work with another team that has asked me already."

"Your pride?" she crossed her arms and frowned. "So your letting your pride come between friends?"

"It is more than that, Katara!" he shouted back louder than he expected, taking a breath to calm himself. "If I am to be a great hero like my brother, I cannot be joining the leaders team. I need to carve my own path out from under you."

Katara wanted to say more, but seeing him so adamant on this she realized she was not going to change his mind. She sighed and looked away from him. "Fine. If that's what you want to do, then go on."

The sharp tone in her voice hit Iida hard, but he hid the feeling with a stern look of his own before turning to walk away. The other two there stood silent as they looked between Katara and her friend, the tension so thick they could cut it with a knife. Midoriya walked forward by her side seeing her sighing to herself. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

Looking back up, she saw that Tenya had gone to join Todoroki and Kaminari which made her scoff out loud. "So you don't want to be on my team and then go join the one who got second place. That makes a lot of sense."

"I'm sorry Katara." Momo said as she placed a hand on her friends shoulder. "I thought for certain he was going to join you, too."

"It's alright. I thought he as going to as well." Katara said disappointingly. Now that she was down a teammate, she quickly glanced around to find someone to fill the spot. She saw Mina to the side and smiled. "I'll be right back." she said as she walked towards her pink friend. Watching her leave, Midoriya suddenly felt his blood pressure rise when he caught Momo looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Uhhh… s-so, us on a team together. Fancy that." Midoriya fake chuckled as he rubbed his head.

"Yep… fancy that." she responded, subconsciously bringing an arm up and covering her chest again.

Midoriya saw the action and couldn't help from blushing again. "H-hey. About what happened the other day, I j-just wanted to-

"How about we just don't talk about anymore, okay?" She cut him off, earning a rapid head nod from him.

"Ashido! Hey, you want to join my team?" Katara asked as she approached her, but was surprised when Mina gave a sorrow look.

"Aw, sorry I already got on a team."

"What? Who's team?" Katara asked.

"Hey, raccoon eyes! Don't you be conspiring with hair loops over there!"

Katara's jaw dropped when she looked passed her friend and saw Bakugo glaring at her. "Wait… do you mean you-

"Yeah call me crazy, but I'm on his team." Mina shrugged her shoulders. "He is an ass but is pretty badass actually."

"But… it's Bakugo." Katara groaned as she looked towards him again, but when she saw who was next to him she was really shocked. "You too?"

Kirishima walked over to her and smirked. "Hell yeah, me and Ashido are with Bakugo here." he pointed to his team leader behind him who simply scoffed out.

Now that she thought about it, since the USJ attack she had noticed Kirishima following Bakugo around more during school. Not that it made sense to her though. "Can you really handle him?"

"Ah he ain't that bad actually. You just gotta get around the rough edges."

"Hey red head! You too, quit chatting up with hair loops!" Bakugo growled out.

"I told you it's Kirishima!" Ejiro snapped back, looking back to Katara's raised eyebrow. "Okay… sometimes he isn't that bad."

Shaking her head, Katara sighed before smiling. "Well, good luck to both of you then."

Walking away, Katara sighed seeing her options dropping. Most of the other students were still trying to avoid being with the ten million point girl, so her choices were fading away. She glanced around as the other classes and saw most of them had already formed teams as well. It also made it hard she had no idea what there powers were, so she didn't know how they would blend with her team. She began to think they should just go at it with the three of them… until she saw one she didn't expect with no team yet.

* * *

"Tetsutetsu! How about we team up?" Kendo yelled out as she approached the gray haired teen.

"Me? I figured you'd be getting on Setsuna's team." he responded.

"I was thinking about asking her, but if we really want to beat some of those class A teams we need the best team possible. With your iron and my quirk we can probably break through anything."

Hearing that brought a grin to his face. "You got a point there. And I already got Honenuki who wants to join up."

Kendo looked over to Juzo, the skull faced looking teen nodding towards her. "I think I got someone who would be perfect too." The three of them turned to see Ibara Shiozaki walked towards them, her vine covered head giving a slow bow.

"Oh sweet, now I think we can for sure beat that red head copycat!" Tetsutetsu yelled out happily.

Chuckling at his own self made rival, Kendo turned as she saw Katara walking with her final member. "Well, we will see what happens. Some of them are pretty strong, but we are not going to let it be easy for them."

* * *

"That feels better…" Uraraka groaned as she made her way back into the crowds of the field. After her quick bathroom run, she got a quick explanation from the security on what she missed. While she walked back towards where her class was, she looked around and saw most of her classmates and friends were already on full teams, but she wasn't worried. She happily walked by them as she looked for a very specific boy, one who most said didn't stand out in a crowd. One many looked over in the beginning of school, but to her he always felt special. Once she saw the back of her friend, she smiled.

"Deku!"

Hearing his old name called, Midoriya turned to see her waving towards him. "Oh, Uraraka. Hey." he smiled back.

"Deku, lets be on a team together!" To her surprise, Midoriyas smile fell when she said that. "What's wrong?"

Midoriya felt his stomach tightened slightly, a small wave of pain crawling up as he saw her big eyes. She was one of his first friends here and he had to break some bad news to her. "Oh, I'm really sorry but… we already have a team made."

Uraraka's eyes widened in shock. "What? With who?"

Before he could answer, Katara suddenly walked up with Tokoyami in tow. Uraraka then noticed that Yaoyorozu was standing to the side as well, her heart feeling a strange tightness all of a sudden. "Oh… you… already have a full team?"

Katara saw her standing there with her pleading eyes, feeling bad herself now. "I'm sorry Uraraka, but I was asking others to join and they already said yes."

It's okay I… I understand." she gave a small smile to them, although she was not able to hide her disappointment. "I'll find another team real quick. Good luck."

"Uraraka…" Midoriya whispered out, seeing her depressed look. "Sorry, but when she asked me I-

"Don't be sorry Deku, it's no big deal," waving her hands, Uraraka gave a small nod to him. "I hope that we both make it to the finals. Good luck."

Walking away from them, Uraraka gripped her hands together as she left. She had hoped to get onto a team with her friends. It always felt better to work with people she was close with, but now some of them had made a team… without her.

"I mean they didn't exclude me on purpose. They just… made one before I was back." she said to herself in disappointment. She glanced over her shoulder once more to see Midoriya talking among the other three, and caught sight of him looking awkwardly at Momo. For some reason, her chest suddenly tightened once again. Why it did she couldn't explain. Frowning, she turned back forward and kept walking with her head up. She said she wanted to be strong like Deku, so facing against him was a good way to do that.

"Uraraka."

"Huh?" Looking up at the sound of her name, she turned to see Tenya approaching her. "Iida?"

"You should come join us if you are looking for a team." Tenya said as he stood in front of her. "Todoroki asked for you."

"What? For me?" she was shocked by this. She had never even spoken to Todoroki in the time at school, and he was asking for her?

"Yes. He wants you to be the final member to his team." Iida answered as he turned back around. "Come along."

While she was shocked by this, it felt a little better she had at least Iida on a team with her. Following him over through the crowd, she saw Shoto standing there waiting for her. While she felt somewhat grateful he had asked for her, but the cold gaze he gave still sent a chill up her spine he looked at her.

"Th-thanks for asking for me to join your team, Todoroki." She said with a smile hoping to shake off her nerves.

Todoroki didn't respond immediately however, glancing through the crowd and seeing Yaoyorozu on another team. _'I had planned to have Yaoyorozu join since her quirk is so versatile, but someone else beat me to her…"_ He growled internally when his gaze drifted over to Katara. He had lost one of his top choices to the one he needed to defeat.

Letting out a silent sigh, he turned back to the members he chose. "I chose you three because of your abilities and how they are beneficial. Kaminari, you will have the left for cover and attack. Lida will take the front for speed. And Uraraka, you will have the right to use your quirk to increase our mobility."

"Uh, right." Uraraka responded, feeling a bit disgruntled realizing he chose her just for her quirk.

Iida nodded to the plan. "Your strategy is good. So with you on top, you will give ice defense with your right and offensive with the fire on your left, correct?"

Shoto's left fist clenched at the idea. "No. when it comes to battle, I will never use my left side…" His eyes traveled up through the crowd, immediately locking onto his father staring down at him. He didn't care if the great Endeavor stayed disappointed in him for only using half of his power. He refused to allow himself become a testing doll for his dad.

He was going to become the winner all without that man.

* * *

As the timer on the screen hit zero, Midnight threw her hand in the air and grinned. "Now that we have formed the teams, it is time to begin the next event!" The crowd roared to life as the contestants all readied themselves below on the large stage in the center.

Kendo readied herself on top of her team as Monoma gave a smug smile to her from the right.

"May the best team win, Kendo." he said, earning a grin back from her.

"Oh, we plan to."

From his position, Bakugo bared his teeth and punched his hands together above Kirishima, Mina and Sero. "Alright, it's time to kill that hair loops and get that ten million points!"

The other three rolled their eyes at his choice of words but readied themselves.

Tying her headband in place, Katara sat up straight as her team picked her up. She bended out a stream of water and encased her right arm, her brow furrowed as she focused her mind. "Are you all ready?"

"Let's do this." Momo answered from the right side.

"Let's give it our best!" Midoriya yelled on the left.

"Yes." Tokoyami calmly responded in the front as dark shadow came out.

Nodding to herself, Katara looked back up as she saw everyone's eyes locked on her. She then turned to the left and locked eyes with Iida staring at her, causing her to frown before looking up to see Todoroki's gaze fixated on herself. Glaring back, she took a deep breath and froze the water on her arm. "We are making it to the next round!"

"NOW IT'S TIME TO GET THIS NEXT EVENT GOING!" Present Mic yelled out as the timer on screen appeared. All the teams readied themselves, and then they heard the call.

"STAAAAAAAART!"

**Notes: Aaand done. don't know why but I didn't really enjoy writing this chapter as much. maybe it's because id rather write the crazy stuff coming up. *cough cough* .**

**But we are starting to see the little things changing in the world! little by little more and more things will be different than the canon so be ready! till next time!**


	22. The Promise

"This is not what I expected!" Katara yelped out in shock as her team sprinted away from another barrage of incoming attacks from the others.

It had been three minutes so far in the calvary battle and to ones surprise the top team had been the main target. So for Katara's team, most of what they had done was simply run as almost every other team had come straight for them. Just then one of class B's teams shot out what looked like scales from his arms right for her. She quickly bended her water up and formed an ice shield catching the hundreds of small fragments. She looked over and saw the other teams now attempting to close in from the right. "Let's get away from this area and give us some space to work!" She yelled to the three below her.

"On it!" Momo responded and helped charge forward with the others. She created a handful or sharp spikes and tossed them out behind her causing several of the incoming teams to halt their charge. "There, that will at least slow them down a bit."

"Good thinking." Katara nodded as she saw some of the teams trying to step around the spikes. She then noticed another member of class B shoot off what looked like a horn from their head and it flew through the air towards them. "Incoming!"

Whipping her arms up, she slashed her water up and cut the incoming attack in half. Not getting a moments break, she saw another class B team running in. "This is much more difficult than I expected."

"What did you expect from having the top score?" Momo sighed out loud.

Midoriya's eyes caught sight of Jiro's quirk shooting in from his side. "Hey look out!"

Before the earphone jacks could reach them, dark shadows claws shot out and swiped them back. "I'll cover the longer range attacks from the side." Tokoyami said as he retracted his quirk back in front of him, bringing a smile to Katara's face.

"Nice work. Let's just keep this up and we will be fine." Katara looked back to see others attempting to come forward, but then she was completely caught off guard as Bakugo was blasting through the air right towards her.

"OHH! BAKUGO IS CHARGING HIMSELF AWAY FROM HIS TEAM! WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Mic yelled out in shock to the act before Midnight spoke over her mic.

"He has not touched the ground, therefore it is legal!"

"Give me that headband, hair loops!" he roared out and brought his hands forward to blow them away, but dark shadow extended out and took the brunt of the blast. Seeing his attack only made Bakugo more angry. "Get out of the way, you stupid shadow!"

Midoriya then saw Bakugo place his feet on dark shadows stomach, watching him bracing his legs and leaning back slightly. "Watch it! He will kick off and use the leverage to get the high ground above us!"

His analysis was correct, and Bakugo leaped up in the air over dark shadow's head and brought his hands down. Katara however was ready for him and shot a water whip out encasing his hands, but the explosion from Bakugo's palms broke him free.

"Don't think your nerdy guess is going to stop me!" Bakugo yelled and prepared for another attack.

"Katara, here!"

Hearing her name, Katara flipped her head towards Momo and saw a shield being handed towards her. Not having time to think, she grabbed it with her water and whipped it forward right at Bakugo. The steel and water combo now was too much for Bakugo to break through, the teen falling towards the ground before his teammate Sero shot out tape and snatched him back to their group. Pulling the shield back, Katara smiled and handed it back towards Momo. "Nice move."

"Thanks." Momo grinned and slipped the shield onto her arm to save for later.

While the team seemed to have a found a moment of success, they were all perplexed when suddenly a thick sheet of ice raced across the arena floor encasing most of the others feet. Katara's eyes widened in shock as the ice rushed at them as well, waving her hands fast and dispersing the frozen sheet away from her teams feet. While her team was fortunate enough to stay free, the others couldn't help but voice their disappointment.

"What the hell is this shit!? Get your feet moving!" Bakugo yelled and beat on Kirishima's head.

"I'm frozen, man! I can't move!" Kirishima growled back as he tried moving his legs.

"Give me a second!" Mina leaned down and began dripping acid out from her hand. "I'll get rid of the ice."

Gritting his teeth, Bakugo looked up and glared to the cause of the ice. "Damn you, you stupid bastard!"

"WOW CHECK IT OUT! A FLASH FREEZE HAS OVERTAKEN THE FIELD AND CAPTURED THE OTHER TEAMS!" Mic ecstatically yelled out as the match heated (or as he should say chilled) up.

While she felt some relief seeing most of their pursuers were stopped, Katara turned to see Todoroki facing her down on top of his own teammates. The water bender took a breath as she stared at him, seeing he already had another headband draped around his neck. Her eyes then drifted down to see Tenya looking right at her as well, unable to hold back the frown forming on her face.

"HEADS UP PEOPLE! WE HAVE TEAM TODOROKI FACING OFF AGAINST TEAM KATARA! THIS IS GETTING GOOD!"

"That headband is coming with me." Todoroki demanded as his right emitted frost preparing his quirk.

Katara gritted her teeth and brought her water up over her head. "Like I'm going to just give it to you. Why don't you come and get it yourself?"

"Fine by me." Todoroki swiped his hand forward and sent out a thick column of ice out. Katara readied herself and brought her own hand out and swiped away from her body, bending the incoming ice out and away from her team. Breaking off several chunks of the ice, she lifted them into the air and launched them back towards Todoroki's team, forcing him to form an ice barrier in front and block the large ice chunks from reaching. Grunting to himself, Shoto swiped forward and launched a larger column of ice spikes out from underneath his barrier.

"Uhhh… that's a lot bigger!" Midoriya yelled out, preparing his hand to flick and stop the attack.

"Don't! You'll hurt yourself!" Katara warned and readied herself, bringing both hands in front of her to bend the ice. It was a lot stronger than the first one she stopped, but instead of trying to overpower it, she diverted it and make the ice pass to their right. Iida saw the ice being diverted by her, frowning knowing she had the advantage at the moment.

"Todoroki, if you continue doing that she will simply use her quirk to stop it. You need to use something she can't control." Iida told him.

Shoto internally grimaced at the suggestion. He knew what that meant; to use that side was something he refused to do. He didn't care if this was harder. He would not break the vow he made.

"What we need is maneuverability. Speed…" Todoroki looked down to Uraraka on his right. "It's time for what we discussed earlier."

She hesitated for a moment, but nodded her head. "Right!" She reached with her hand and tapped both Todoroki and Kaminari with her fingertips, activating her quirk and making them all weightless. She took a deep breath and tapped herself, also feeling her feet ready to leave the ground. The nausea in her stomach started up slightly, but she swallowed hard and kept her gaze focused. "Done!"

Iida was shocked to suddenly feel Todoroki's weight suddenly vanish from behind him, only knowing he was there by the latter's feet in his hands. He couldn't help but grin to himself. Now that they were all weightless, he could move as fast as he wanted now. "Now I see what you had in mind."

Lowering his body, Iida's quirk began igniting as he readied himself. "All of you hold on tight. This is going to be a fast ride."

Kaminari raised his eyebrow in worry. "Wait, how fast? I don't do good wit- AHHHH!"

Tenya's jet legs catapulted him across the arena with the other three in tow. Bursting out from behind the ice, he carried his team over the grounds and whipping out from Katara's team's view momentarily before they caught sight of them once more.

"Woah, how are they moving so fast!?" Momo asked in shock as she tried to keep her eyes on them.

"It's Iida." Katara answered as she spun around watching her friend race across the stage. She brought the water above her head down onto her shoulders preparing for an attack.

"But how are they…" Midoriya's words froze when he saw Uraraka in tow, and her legs not touching the ground. "It's Uraraka's quirk! She erased their gravity so they are not weighing Iida down at all!"

"So as fast as Iida can move, they are able to as well…" Tokoyami glared as dark shadow outstretched its arms in front of him. "How troublesome."

Katara grunted as she saw Iida turn and stare right at her. She knew he was fast, and he would use that speed to his advantage. She noticed him change course and rush right towards them, forming multiple ice spikes above her head. "Here they come!"

The ice shot forward from her hands and at the incoming Tenya, but his speed was too much and he ducked to the right dodging them entirely. His agility pulled his teammates across the stage effortlessly, a grin forming on his face as he approached.

"You beat me during the race Katara, but I will not lose this one!" He yelled out and sprinted faster.

Glaring, Katara shot forth a thick stream of water down to the ground in front of them and formed a barricade of ice to stop his run. Todoroki however swung his right hand and sent out his own attack of ice shattering her wall, his column in fact forming a small ramp as Tenya sprinted up and leaped through the air towards them. Dark shadow extended out to try and grab them, but Kaminari smirked and reached out with his own hand shocking the shadow bird.

"With that electricity, dark shadow can't get near them!" Tokoyami grunted out in frustration.

"Pull him back, Tokoyami!" Momo yelled as she threw a net she created straight towards the incoming team. Before it could connect, Iida ignited his legs and catapulted his team through the air and down behind the waterbenders group.

"Watch your backs! Flip us around!" Katara commanded as she spun her body to face them. She threw a water whip out from her shoulder to catch Todoroki's arm to keep him from using his quirk, but Iida turned the groups angle so that it gave Kaminari a chance to reach up and grab the water with his hand. Katara's eyes went wide as she saw the electric user grin at her.

"Time for a little shock treatment!" Denki cheered out as a bright eruption of electricity erupted from his hand traveling up the water and engulfing Katara. Her body went stiff as the charge ran through her, the water she was controlling falling to the ground. The only thing she was able to do was scream out in pain.

"Katara!" Midoriya screamed in worry as he watched Katara slump down onto the group. The other two leaned back to help catch her from falling off, keeping her balance as she panted, the occasional jolt rocking through her making her shake.

Taking a deep breath, Uraraka reached up and tapped her fingers together. "Release!"

The others weight suddenly returned, bracing their feet as they readied to charge again. Todoroki saw the others trying to keep Katara up and knew this was his chance. "Lets get it now while we have the advantage."

"Katara, stay with us, come on!" Momo shook Katara trying to make her focus, but she then saw the other team approaching ahead. "They are coming back!"

Tokoyami grunted and brought dark shadow out once more. "With Katara unable to fight, they have the upper hand."

"That headband is mine." Todoroki demanded as his team charged forward, but as they approached, Uraraka's jaw dropped when she saw a hand extended outward, and a finger prepared to flick straight towards them.

"Deku?" Her eyes widened as she saw his eyes meet with hers.

"I'm sorry Uraraka…." Midoriya whispered to himself as his finger glowed. "I have to win this. Smash!"

The powerful gust erupting out from Midoriya's flick crashed right into Iida lifting him off the ground and pushing him and the others backwards. Todoroki saw the edge coming up fast behind them, quickly creating a barrier of ice as they smacked into it painfully but stopping there retreat. Looking back up, Uraraka shook her head to clear her dizziness before looking up in disbelief. For the first time knowing him, he had actually used his quirk against her, and now she felt the power it had. "Deku… so that's what your power is like…." she said to herself.

'HOLY COW, PEOPLE! CHECK OUT THAT POWER THAT CAME FROM MIDORIYA! TALK ABOUT BLOWING YOUR SOCKS OFF!"

From his seat, All Might furrowed his brow in worry at the display of power. _'Be careful Midoriya… if you hurt yourself too much, it will effect your performance later.'_

Panting through the pain in his broken middle finger, Midoriya looked up to Katara in concern. "Hey, are you good now?"

While still shaken, Katara nodded. "I-I'm okay." she tried getting out before she clutched her arm to halt the shaking feeling she had.

"No you aren't…" Yaoyorozu corrected her as she helped push Katara back up straight. "The water conducted the electricity and made it feel worse for you."

"Oh, you don't say, huh?" Katara sarcastically grunted out as she clenched her fist, feeling as if a thousand needles were stabbing her hand at that moment. She took a deep breath and extended her fingers, feeling the pain slowly dissipate. "Thanks everyone, they had me for a second there."

Tokoyami furrowed his brow as he adjusted his grip. "It seems Kaminari's quirk is more difficult than we predicted. Dark shadow is not handling it well, and with your water its dangerous for you as well."

"I'll have to be smarter than that then…" Katara cursed at herself. "I have to keep the water from touching me if it goes to him next time." She then turned to see Midoriya's broken finger, waving her hand and gathering water to her palm and bringing it down onto his own hand, bringing a blush to the boys face.

"Hey, w-what are you doing?" he stuttered in shock before his eyes saw the glow emitting from the water, and some of the pain in his hand dissipating. As she pulled her hand away, he looked to see the majority of the bruising had vanished from his finger, leaving only a small hint of red left. "Wow. Thanks."

"It's not perfect, but will help you." Katara took a breath and brought more water up around her. "Now, we are keeping this score. We will do it together!"

* * *

Finally free from their ice, Kirishima sighed in relief. "Finally, my legs were starting to- OW!"

"Hurry up, Spiky hair!" Bakugo demanded as he started beating on the top of his front horses head. "We need that ten million!"

"Oh, you class A members are so one track minded."

Bakugo's eyes widened as he felt his headband pulled off from behind. "What the!?" He spun around to see Monoma spinning the band he had just stolen on his finger while he was carried passed. "Give me that back, you smug asshole!"

"Oh this? Why do you want this? I thought you were going to get ten million? But you simple minded class A people forgot you don't need the top score to go on. Just enough to qualify." Monoma smirked as he watched Bakugo grit his teeth together. "You were so caught up trying to be number one, you let your guard down and gave up your own points. Only an amateur would ever do something so pathetic."

"A… what?" Bakugo's forehead vein began pulsing at the words he was just called. "An… amateur, you say?"

"Of course. I mean… coming from the kid captured by that sludge monster last year, you should know what it feels like to lose."

"Hey, that ain't cool!" Kirishima bared his teeth at the smug blonde. "You think making fun of him for that is going to make him lose his cool? Well I'll tell you that-

"Kirishima…"

Hearing the deep growl above him froze Kirishima's words as he turned and looked up to what looked like a demon ready to rip it's prey apart. "Oh shit…"

"Before we take down Deku and stupid hair loops, we are gonna kill this class B prick and get our points back, you got it?"

While the rest of Bakugo's team sweated at the sight of their team rider, Monoma simply shrugged and smiled. "Well, Let's see what you can do then, sir."

* * *

As the other teams began breaking free of their icy shackles, Shoji ran across the field as his webbed arms covered his back containing the two riders on his team. He glanced around trying to decide which route would be the best. "If we hurry and rush towards the two top teams, we may be able to sneak in and-

"AHHHH! This is horrible!"

The voice underneath his arms cried out in horror cunfusing the multi-armed teen. "Mineta, what's wrong?"

"My headband! It's gone!" Mineta screamed out in panic.

"What!?" Shoji exclaimed, "How!? You were underneath my arms!"

"Ribbit. You suck Mineta." Tsu growled next to the ball headed boy.

As the trio began arguing what had happened, a single vine carried the headband over and up to Kendo on top of her team. "Nice, Shiozaki. We got some bonus points at least." she grinned and slipped the band over her head and onto her neck.

Tetsutetsu snickered from the from of his team. "Sweet. With that and the other points we got, we should be safe I hope."

"Well, just to make sure…" Kendo's eyes trailed over to the two class A teams battling it out, a large smile stretching across her face. "Let's get that big one to guarantee it."

* * *

"WOW, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN QUITE THE SHOW! WITH ONLY FOUR MINUTES LEFT ITS COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE!"

The crowd cheered on as the match was getting towards the end. Many of the lower ranking teams had given up trying to steal points from the top leaders and tried to salvage what they could from the others near them. Partly was to get some dignity and reclaim points they had stolen from them, but the main reason was many saw the top teams and knew they could not even get close to them even if they tried.

Katara blew out of her mouth as she wiped the sweat off her brow. For the last seven minutes her team had been in a cat and mouse game with Todoroki's team. Dodging and evading the other's attacks, countering their abilities as they kept distance with each other. She glanced down to her teammates and saw they were becoming worn down. Midoriya was now sporting three broken fingers, his right hand shaking as he fought through the pain. Tokoyami was fighting to keep dark shadow out much longer, his quirk becoming frightened and scared of getting hit by more lightning attacks. Even Momo was beginning to pant, her quirk draining her energy from the items she had been creating. There was something bulging out from her backside, but she had chosen to keep it hidden for now.

"Just hold on, you guys…" Katara yelled out to hype up their morale. "We still have our score. Just a few minutes left!"

"Don't worry, Katara. I'll finish this to the end!" Midoriya clenched his fist, ignoring the pain coursing through his hand. Momo however glanced over to this swollen fingers in concern. Even with Katara's healing she could see the broken bones pressing against his skin causing her to worry.

"Midoriya… if you keep doing that you won't be able to-

"If I let something like this stop me… then how could I ever call myself a hero!?" Midoriya screamed out in defiance, the look of determination sending a chill through Yaoyorozu's body. She nodded back and readied herself.

"You're right. Let's do this."

Todoroki's team wasn't fairing much better either. Uraraka was struggling to continue using her quirk without reaching her limit, and Kaminari's electricity was starting to make his head spin. He glanced down to Iida who looked up to him as well. "If we are to get that band, we need to get in and get back out quick."

"There is a way…" Iida looked back towards Katara and sighed. "I can get you that band… but after I use my technique I will be useless. It's a one time shot so you cannot miss."

"What?" Todoroki looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I have a technique I have not shown to anyone yet, but it's only good for about ten seconds. If you can grab that band, we will win this thing."

Thinking for a few seconds, Todoroki nodded down to him. "Uraraka, your quirk again."

Uraraka panted several times before nodding. "I'll… I'll try." she reached over and touched the two behind Iida and herself once more.

Seeing them readying themselves again, Katara gathered several blocks of ice and bended them back into water over her head. "Get ready again. Here they come."

Momo nodded, but then her eyes caught sight of a mass of green rushing towards them. She looked over and felt her mouth drop at the vines shooting right at her. "Hey, look out!"

"what?" Katara went wide eyed when she saw vines as well, swiping her hands and slashing through the wave of green coming towards them revealing Kendo's team charging straight towards them.

"Time for us to take that headband, Katara!" Kendo yelled out.

"WOW LOOK AT THIS CHANGE! TEAM KENDO HAS JOINED THE FRAY WITH KATARA'S AND TODOROKI'S TEAMS!"

"You too?" Katara glared in annoyance, readying her water to slash again before she yelped out as her team suddenly dropped lower. "What are you doing?"

"It's not us, we're sinking!" Midoriya shouted in shock as his legs were now falling through the soft ground.

Tetsutetsu laughed as he saw them stuck from his teammates quirk. "Nice one, Honenuki. Keep them pinned!"

"Got it!" Juzo responded as he ran through the softening ground he created.

"I'll hold us up, give me a second!" Momo shouted as she created several grappling lines and throwing them into the solid ground to her left.

"Work us out, I'll keep them back." Katara yelled out and shot the water forward and formed an ice wall between them and the incoming team, but was shocked as Tetsutetsu rammed his body straight through it, his skin now hardened steel.

"That isn't gonna do a thing against me!" the hardened teen screamed in defiance and pushed forward much to Katara's annoyance.

While the two teams were distracted, they didn't notice the loud hiss from Tenya's quirk igniting, his legs shooting out a bright stream of blue fire. "We have one shot at this. Do not miss that headband!"

While momo and Midoriya worked and pulled the team out of the ground, Katara and Tokoyami used their powers to try and keep the others back. Tetsutetsu's quirk though was allowing him to break through most of her bending however, and when Katara tried shooting water to freeze his feet, a wall of vines grew to take the brunt of her attack. Dark shadow also charged forward with his claws clenched, only for Kendo's massive hand to land a powerful punch to its body.

"You are not getting this!" Katara brought her hands up creating a large supply of ice spikes above her. "We are going to-

"Recipro Burst!"

A gust of wind whipped passed the waterbenders face cutting off her words. The others on her team and Kendo's group were also left in silence from the air current pulling their hair aside. They all turned to their left to see Todoroki's team at the other end of the arena stage, the smoke rising out from Iida's exhaust pipes as the other three members stared in silent shock to the speed they just experienced.

"How… how in the world did he-

Katara's heart rate jumped when she saw a single headband hanging from Todoroki's hand. Her fingers reached up and felt her forehead and gasped out in shock.

Hers was gone.

"Woah, how the hell did he do that!?" Tetsutetsu said in disbelief.

Mic stared open mouthed for a few moments before he jumped out of his seat. "WHAT WAS THAT!? WITH ONLY ONE MINUTE LEFT, TEAM TODOROKI BURST ACROSS THE STAGE AND SWIPED THE TEN MILLION POINTS!"

Katara sat in disbelief as she locked eyes with Iida. His breath coming in pants but holding a smirk across his face. "Sorry I never told you about this move. But I did tell you I would prove myself today, Katara."

"We have to get it back!" Katara yelled out as her team pulled itself out of the ground. "If we don't get it back, we are done. Come on!"

Kendo glared as she saw Todoroki slipping the headband onto his neck. "Let's go. We are going to take that for ourselves!"

Seeing the other teams charging towards them, Todoroki glared out and readied himself. "Uraraka, lighten us again."

His request however went on deaf ears, as Uraraka was close to hurling as she covered her mouth. Grunting in annoyance, Todoroki leaned forward onto Iida. "Get us out of here."

"Todoroki… I can't." Iida grimaced and looked down to his sputtering exhaust pipes. "My engines are overheated now."

"What?" Shoto looked up in shock as the other two teams closed in. He then gritted his teeth and turned down to Kaminari. "You need to take them all out. Unleash your quirk fully."

"What!? That will take you out as well!" Kaminari yelled out. "I can't control it like that!"

"Just do it, or they will overtake us."

"Why don't you use your-

"I said do it!" Todoroki yelled out shocking the others. "Just unleash everything. It will be cold so hold on."

"Come on, we're almost out of time!" Katara shouted as her team charged forward, bending the water over her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she saw the electric current rising up from Kaminari's body just as Todoroki created a thick sheet of ice between his other two teammates. "Something's happening, what are they-

"Everyone, hurry and use this!" Momo reached under her shirt and pulled out the item she was hiding, flipping it open and revealing the large insulated blanket. "Cover up, now!"

Not waiting to think, Katara pulled the sheet up over the others as the bright lightning formed in the arena.

"Indiscriminate shock; 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!"

The blinding attack erupted outward striking everything in sight, lighting up Kendo's team like a christmas tree. The class B students howled out in pain before they slumped to the ground, luckily being underneath Kendo and keeping her from touching the ground.

"So bright!" Tenya yelled out as he shielded his eyes from the flash, waiting to move until it dissipated.

Shoto uncovered his eyes as well as the electric arcs finally faded, looking over to Kaminari through the ice shield drooling and giggling to himself. "You really do fry yourself after an attack like that." he said annoyingly as he melted the ice between his teammates. He looked out to see the one team out of commission, but then felt his heart skip a beat when a thick sheet fell to the side revealing Katara's team unhurt.

"No…"

"I knew of Kaminari's final attack from the USJ," Momo smirked at the shocked teen, "So I made this earlier just in case."

Katara grinned at her friends planning. "Good work, Yaoyorozu. Now lets get those points back!"

Shoto's eyes widened as their team charged his own, swiping his hand and shooting out a wall of ice. Katara however simply waved her own hands and bended the ice out of the way clearing the path for her group. Glaring, he shot another stream of ice forward, but once again it was bended out from its path and lifted behind Katara.

"Todoroki, your ice isn't working! You need to use your fire!" Iida demanded.

Todoroki grinded his teeth at his words, thrusting his arm forward creating more ice to stop the incoming team. "I will not let him use me…" he sneered out as created more ice blocking out the others. Suddenly from the right, dark shadow shot out around the ice and barreled right towards him, forcing Shoto to unleash another barrage of ice out encasing the dark bird in its spot. He then saw Katara's water covered hand forming into an ice pike.

"You are not beating us, Todoroki!" Katara's arm shot forward ready to strike. "We are not giving up!"

Unable to turn his body fast enough, Todoroki panicked as he knew he would not create ice fast enough to stop her. Even if he did, she would divert it away and use it herself. His teammates were down, unable to do anything to evade at this point. He felt trapped, nothing left to defend himself with. He didn't even think as his left hand raised up to block, the bright flames crawling across his skin and erupting outward.

The sudden change caused Katara's eyes to widen, seeing him use it for the first time, but she pushed passed her fear and swung the ice into his hand and knocking it out of the way. Shoto's breath caught in his throat when his eyes followed up his hand and to the fire dancing on his hand. "What… what am I doing?"

Katara saw his distraction, her eyes locking back onto the headbands dangling around his neck. 'I can't tell which one is mine. So…' she shot her hand forward and grabbed the entire stack. "I'll take all of them!"

With a hard tug, the waterbender pulled back and ripped both of the bands from Todoroki's neck and leaned back as her team ran by. She looked down to the numbers, her mouth forming a large smile when she saw the long number over one of the strips.

"We got it… we got it!"

"WHAAAAT!? WITH ONLY SECONDS REMAINING, TEAM KATARA SWIPED BACK THE TEN MILLION BAND! SO CRAZY!"

The crowd roared out as the scoreboard suddenly flipped around to the change on the field, followed by the arena's timer going off moments later.

"That's the end of the calvary battle!" Midnight yelled out, bringing on another loud cheer from the audience.

"Katara, you got the score back!" Momo cheered as she helped set Katara on the ground.

"That was amazing. Good job!" Midoriya added.\

"I am truly impressed. You did well." Tokoyami nodded in agreement.

Katara smiled but shook her head. "It wasn't just me. You all helped me. We did this together."

While the four of them cheered ecstatically about their success, Iida clenched his fists in frustration with himself. He looked down to his legs in anger, his quirk still inactive from his burst earlier. "Damn it… am I that much more inadequate than everyone?" He turned to the others to apologize for his failure, bowing his head low. "Please forgive me. If I was able to-

"Bleh!"

Iida gasped as Uraraka emptied her stomach over his shoes, his arms flailing wildly as he stepped back. "Uraraka! How could you!?"

"S-sorry Iida…" Uraraka groaned, her stomach doing somersaults inside from her quirk.

"Uh heh. Heh heh heh!" Kaminari mumbled incoherently as he gave thumbs up to nobody.

While his teammates gathered themselves, Todoroki stood alone as his eyes stared at his left hand. He didn't care about the score he had at this point. He could only focus on the stupid mistake he had done. He clenched his fist and stared up into the crowd at his father, the mans cold eyes staring back at him. He glared back to the ground, cursing at himself for breaking the one thing he always swore he would do.

"NOW THAT WAS AN INSANE EVENT RIGHT THERE FOLKS! NOW WE HAVE FOUND OUR TEAMS THAT WILL QUALIFY FOR THE FINAL EVENT! IN FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE TEAM KATARA!"

Midoriya couldn't help but grin. He didn't worry about the fingers on his hand, he would just head to recovery girl real fast. He turned to congratulate his teammates once more, only to come face to face with Yaoyorozu standing just a few feet away. "Uh…" his face burned red as she turned to look at him as well.

Momo's also blushed slightly, but she quickly took a breath and smiled. "Good job out there. We did good together."

'Y-yeah w-we did d-didn't we?" Midoriya awkwardly chuckled rubbing his head.

IN SECOND PLACE, WE HAVE THE EXPLOSIVE FIRE CRACKER GROUP THAT MADE A CRAZY COMEBACK, TEAM BAKUGO!"

Hearing their nickname made Mina roll her eyes. "Couldn't we get a cooler name than that?"

"Eh, whatevs. At least we scored second, that's pretty good!" Sero grinned and clenched his fist.

"Well, we aren't all happy about that placement." Kirishima groaned as he turned to see Bakugo hunched on the ground.

"How did Deku and hair loops beat me!? FUCK!"

"IN THIRD PLACE, WE GOT SOME CLASS B FACES JOINING US NOW. WE GOT TEAM KENDO!"

Still slumped on the ground, Tetsutetsu growled in anger at the outcome. "This sucks, we looked like idiots in the end!"

Grunting as well, Kendo blew the ponytail hanging in front of her face before laying on the ground. "Whatever… we made it at least."

"AND HERE IN FOURTH PLACE, QUITE A SURPRISE TURN OF EVENTS HAPPENED FOR THEM, BUT THEY SQUEAKED BY! TEAM TODOROKI! THESE ARE YOUR FINALISTS!"

The loud cheer from the audience rang through the air as the crowd began chatting among themselves. Many began whispering about which students were catching there attention, with many of course talking about the son of Endeavor. But more and more began talking about the surprise of the festival, the one who had taken first in the first two events with her amazing abilities. This tournament had taken quite the turn for all of those watching it. And it was still far from over for them.

Midoriya walked through the others as they began making their way towards the lunch area, he noticed Uraraka hunched over and clutching her stomach. "U-Uraraka! You okay?"

She turned and smiled up to him. "I'm fine, Deku. Just a little tired is all. Congrats out there, you did really good."

Blushing, Midoriya rubbed his head at the compliment. "I-it wasn't just me. If Tokoyami, Katara and Yaoyorozu didn't help me I would have not have made it. You were the one amazing. That was so cool what you and Iida did together with your quirk."

Uraraka frowned. "Not really. I was useless in the end of the match. Katara was sure something out there."

"She is pretty amazing. And Yaoyorozu is very smart too, how she saved us in the end." Midoriya added, not even noticing what he was saying as Uraraka's eyebrow twitched.

"Yeah... amazing." Uraraka forced a smile to the word choice he used, looking over to Momo walking by and...

"Hey, where is Katara?"

* * *

Far away from the crowds and noise, Katara stood across from Todoroki at the end of a hall leaving the arena. The young waterbender stared across the semi lit corridor as the other simply stared at her, his eyes never leaving hers for even a moment. The silence in the air was only broken by the occasional small breeze whipping into the hall every few minutes or so. And it made it more confusing all together that Todoroki had whispered in her ear after the last event that he needed to speak to her alone.

' _I can only imagine what he as to say to me at this point.'_ She grumbled to herself. As she stared at him however, he only stared back in silence. Leaning back against the wall, Katara rubbed her arm awkwardly while she continued waiting for him to finally speak.

And yet the silence continued.

She gave an annoyed sigh before looking away. "Look, you're mad I beat you. I get it. Let's just head back so we can-

"You overwhelmed me out there, Katara..." he cut her off as he looked down to his left hand. "I had no other option left at that moment… and you forced me to break my promise to myself."

She stared at him in confusion to what he said, but by the way he glared to his hand, she could sense the anger flowing out from his eyes, something deep inside clawing its way to the surface. He took a deep inhale before he spoke again.

"I made a pact that I will never use my fathers power in battle against another no matter what. I have to keep that promise for someone." He looked back up to her staring at him, his gaze softening just slightly. "I told you before that defeating you wasn't personal, but something I have to do. I need him to see me succeed without it."

His words were laced with anger and hatred… but Katara could feel they were not directed to her. And by the words he said not only now but the time she confronted him at school, it was truly obvious where all of his fury was from. Her mind pictured the flaming face of Endeavor once more, his cold glare staring right at her. She gripped her forearm tight as she remembered those few instances talking to him, and just how much she already despised him. She couldn't imagine what it was for others living with him.

"Todoroki…" she wasn't sure if she should ask again, but she had to know. "What did he do for you to hate him so much?"

His eyes drifted away for a moment before he closed them and speaking once more. "Have you ever heard of… quirk marraiges?"

"What?" she questioned. "I… I haven't."

"The idea was made for people to get together solely for the purpose of creating children with powerful quirks. That is what my father did… he bought my mothers relatives for her hand at marriage to get his hands on her quirk. Once he did… all he cared about was his ambition."

His words began eating at Katara's stomach making her sick. She remembered the arranged marriage practices in the north pole of her old home, seeing something like that also occurred here. She also remembered Endeavor saying how he "made is kid" differently, now seeing from Todoroki she wasn't mistaken on what she heard.

"Your dad, did he do…" she stopped her words as he looked back at her, but her staring at the scar on his face told him everything.

"My father is a monster. All my memories of my childhood are filled with the horrible way he treated us. And… my mother." Todoroki felt his left hand trembling, bringing it up as he stared at his palm. "All I can remember is seeing her always crying."

He clenched his teeth and brought his hand over the scar, reliving that fateful night. "I remember her calling my left side unbearable… she said that before pouring boiling water on my face."

Katara's eyes shot open as she gasped out. Her hand came up to cover her mouth at hearing the act, not expecting that is where he got hurt. She had assumed that like Zuko he was burned by his father. But this… this was even worse.

Shoto's fingers drug down his face as he looked back to Katara, his eyes filled with pain and determination. "I refuse to be a pawn for that scumbag. That is why I will win this festival with just my mother's power. And that is why I must defeat you, to shove his own failure in his face. I don't care if your own quirk works against mine. I will win this today without his power entirely."

Finishing his words, Todoroki turned and left the hallway, leaving Katara sitting in silence. She didn't know what to say to him at the moment, but now she finally understood why he was so cold and distant. The scar, his horrid father, and a damaged childhood; it all reminded of her of the friend she knew back on her own world, someone who was so similar in so many ways. But there was something that even Zuko had that Todoroki never did. It was the one thing that kept her old friend from losing who he was and following a darker path.

Family.

Even for a short time, Zuko remembered how much his mother cared for him and was always there to keep him safe. Her love and comfort brought warmth to his lonely heart. He also had his uncle, more of a father than his own dad ever was to him. He had others besides the firelord to bring happiness and guidance to his life. But from what she could tell with Todoroki, he didn't have anything like that. His own mother was the one to burn him, hurt by someone who could have been a source of love for him. Now instead of that, all he had was Endeavor's method of child raising.

He was alone.

* * *

The midday break seemed to go by in a blur for Katara, unable to really focus on anything. She should have been excited since she had won her last event, but her mind was too disjointed to find any pleasure for herself. Even while eating her lunch she could barely taste the food she swallowed, her body seemingly working on auto pilot. For everything in her mind was focused on the conversation she had. Her heart clenched as she thought back to what she was told in that hallway, told of why he was the way he was. To some they would not understand what Todoroki was going through, but Katara knew all to well. She had seen this before in her own friends, and… in herself.

The dark memories of her past continued to eat at her thoughts even as she made her way back into the arena. She blindly followed the other students as they gathered beneath the podium where Midnight stood. The only thing that snapped her out of her trance was as she kept walking, she bumped into Iida from behind.

"Oh, sorry about that." Katara said shaking her head. She looked up to him, but was surprised he never even turned to look at her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Katara." Iida responded, still not turning back to her. "Congratulations on your victory."

"Thanks?" Katara raised an eyebrow to his answer, sensing the tension in his voice. Before she could say anything, Midnight spoke out to the crowd.

"Congratulations to all of you wondrous competitors. While only the final sixteen move on to the final event, we will have fun activities for the rest of you to compete in while we prepare for the matches. Now, the finalists shall come and draw your positions!"

One by one the students who cleared the last challenge walked up to the box Midnight held, drawing from the hole their spot and dropping it in a slot nearby. Katara waited her turn as she watched Tenya march his way up the steps and pull his spot from the box. As he turned and came down the steps, his eyes found their way to her, the two of them not breaking gaze as they passed each other on the grass. If no one knew they were close friends, some would have thought they disliked each other by the glare Katara received. Frowning to herself, Katara turned back up and made her way up the steps, drawing her own tag and dispensing it before going back down. As she looked back up, her eyes met with Todoroki as well. the two silently locked gazes for several seconds before Midnight snapped her whip.

"Now that you have delivered your positions, here is the bracket for the final event of the first years festival!"

The large digital screen popped up above the podium, causing the students to finally see their opponents. Some were excited, while others had either anger or shock.

"You've got to be kidding me!" both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu yelled out in frustration.

Midoriya swallowed hard as he looked over to the skull faced teen of class B, unsure how we was going to deal with his first match. "He was the one who made us sink in the calvary battle. I'll have to be careful with him." His eyes then widened when he noticed the last match, looking over to Yaoyorozu.

She had also seen her opponent, feeling a shiver run up her spine as she gripped her arm. "I… have to face him first?"

More shocked than anyone however was Katara, her hands clenching in a mix of amazement and disappointment to what she had to face.

"You can't be serious…" She whispered out as she stared to the bracket board.

Denki Kaminari vs Ibara Shiozake

Kairi Katara vs Tenya Iida

Izuku Midoriya vs Juzo Honenuki

Hanta Sero vs Shoto Todoroki

Itsuka Kendo vs Mina Ashido

Fumigake Tokoyami vs Ochaco Uraraka

Ejiro Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Momo Yaoyorozu vs Katsuki Bakugo

Katara's heart skipped a beat as she turned to see Iida staring directly at her, both of them ignoring everything else around them. Neither of them paid attention to who their opponents could have been later, for they only saw what was happening first.

They had to fight each other.

**Notes: Uh oh... personal struggles and battles coming soon! Katara having to face someone close to her? How will this go for them?**

**Till next time!**


	23. Speed Vs Water

The students of class A sat in their private section of the stadium as they watched Cementoss create the battle arena they would be competing on. Some of the students had smiles of excitement to what was in store, especially the ones who didn't qualify for the finals. The ones who did were all waiting in a mix of emotions ranging from nervousness to excitement.

"WHAT IS POPPIN FOLKS, ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE FINAL EVENT FOR THE FIRST YEARS!?" Mic yelled out over the intercoms earning a roar from the crowd. "NOW LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED, YO!"

Cementoss completed the final block of the fighting stage before walking to the side across from Midnight, the two teachers acting as referees to the matches. They nodded to each other and gave a thumbs up to Mic they were ready. On cue, the first two combatants walked through their respective tunnels and onto the stage.

"FIRST WE HAVE THE ONE ELECTRIFYING THE COMPETITION. FROM THE HERO COURSE, DENKI KAMINARI! VERSUS, THE VINE WIELDING ASSASSIN SNEAKING HER WAY IN HERE. ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE OF CLASS B, IBARA SHIOZAKI!"

While most of the class was intent on watching what happened, Midoriya couldn't help but look to his left into the other students, noticing a few others missing as they waited below for their match to start after this one. He felt a tightness in his chest in worry for what was going to happen.

* * *

Katara was seated in her own waiting room as she could hear the cheers from the first match starting. She however couldn't relax, tapping her foot as her nerves were building inside of her. She had seen Tenya had been getting more serious about his training over the last few weeks, but after what she heard she was truly surprised of what she had found out. It seemed that not only was his drive to win to be like his brother, but it was also coming from the many times she had unknowingly beaten him. All those times through school she was simply trying to outdo herself and get stronger, but it seemed her good friend had taken those times differently. And now it was coming to head today in the very first match. Momo was waiting there with her, the taller teen standing against the wall near the door. She had seen how upset Katara was after she found out her opponent, and she had tried her best to try and console her. Although for the last few minutes they sat in silence.

"Do you want me to get you anything real fast?" Yaoyorozu finally asked her, receiving a shake from her friends head.

"No I'm alright." Katara quietly said, her eyes stayed locked on the ground.

Momo sighed and rubbed her arm. "Even though this is a tournament, I hope you don't hold it against Iida. He just wants to win like all of us do."

"Yeah…" Katara huffed out and glared at the wall. "Is that why he is so set on beating me specifically? To the point he can't even be on a team with me?"

Momo was about to retort, but she knew Katara was speaking the truth. The way Iida was taking this was on a much more personal level than he should be, unwilling to even work with her in the last event. She heard him mentioning his brother earlier, so perhaps he had pressure to live up to. She didn't have family that were heroes, so she didn't know the feeling of family members to try and follow in their footsteps. Katara was wondering the same thing, knowing how much he looked up to Tensei. Before she could think any more about it though, the loud roar from the crowd took over their senses.

"Something big must have happened out there." Katara said as she stood up.

"Yeah, I wonder what happened." Momo responded. The knock on the door made her jump for a moment before it was pushed open, one of the school security staff standing there.

"Miss Katara, your up now." the man said.

"What? Already?" Katara asked in surprise, earning a nod from the man. The last match had only lasted no more than twenty seconds and it was over?

"You are to wait at the entrance now. Good luck to you." he gave a small bow before shutting the door, leaving the two girls alone once again.

Momo looked back to her friend and gave a small shrug. "Well, I guess its time for me to head back. Good luck out there."

Katara gave a small nod to her and smiled. "Thanks. I'll see you afterward."

As Momo left out of the room, Katara sat for a few more moments before she stood straight and placed her hand on her canteen. She took a deep breath before popping her fingers to loosen her nerves. If she was going to have to face him, she wasn't going to let his little grudge get in her way. And if he wanted to prove he was better than her, than she was going to make him earn it.

* * *

Walking back to where her class was seated, Momo looked down and saw the stage was already cleared and ready for the next match up. "So what happened in the first match?" She asked out loud.

"Kaminari got his ass handed to him." Jiro couldn't help but grin as she sat back in her chair. "He tried to go all out in the beginning and she tossed his mumbling butt out."

While she was surprised, she remembered that Shiozake girl had a pretty unique quirk and made her curious on the other class B members who qualified. She took her seat next to Jiro, but not before she snuck a quick glance to Bakugo sulking alone in his seat. She swallowed the small lump in her throat knowing she had to face him later, gripping her arm before she noticed Midoriya looking over to her as well. Unlike before however, his face was stern, almost silently asking her how their friend was doing. Momo gave a nod towards him, signaling that Katara was ready. They both looked forward as Present Mic prepared the crowd for the next battle.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, ITS TIME TO START THE SECOND MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT! UP FIRST, WE HAVE THE SPEEDSTER RACING BY ALL THE OTHER COMPETITION! FROM THE HERO COURSE, WE HAVE TENYA IIDA!"

The crowd cheered as Tenya walked up the steps to his side of the arena, his eyes filled with focus and determination. He looked up, furrowing his brow when he saw his friend walk up the steps. He clenched his fist as she locked eyes with him, feeling more determined than ever to win.

"VERSUS… THE GIRL THAT HAS TAKEN THIS FESTIVAL BY STORM! SHE SCORED FIRST IN THE ENTRANCE EXAMS, AND HAS TAKEN FIRST IN THE LAST TWO EVENTS. FROM THE HERO COURSE, KAIRI KATARA!"

An even louder eruption of cheers came out as Katara entered the ring, the audience obviously choosing her as their favorite between the two combatants. Hearing the louder cheers made Katara frown, now seeing she was unknowingly taking the spotlight. She didn't care about that now though, for right now she kept her eyes on Tenya.

Ojiro leaned over the seat in front of him towards Midoriya. "So, who do you think's taking this one?"

"I'm not sure…" Midoriya brought his hand to his chin. "Katara is more versatile with her quirk, but Iida's speed is a huge advantage. Especially with that last move he used in the previous event."

Mina chuckled and leaned onto her knees. "Katara is gonna win this."

"I would think so as well," Tokoyami responded. "But Iida won't be an easy challenge for her. This will be interesting."

Todoroki stayed silent as he stared down at Katara below. He knew if they were to face each other, it wouldn't be until the semi finals. He wanted her to get through this match and the next. He needed to be the one to beat her in front of his father.

Katara took a deep inhale through her nose as she mentally prepared herself. She flipped open the top of her canteen and readied her body. Iida did the same, lowering down into his sprinters stance ready to charge. At this point they didn't need to say anything else to each other, for they knew each wanted to win, and they weren't going to hold back.

"START!"

Tenya acted first and burst forward, his quirk launching him across the ground. Katara reacted and bended out a stream of water out and shot it towards him. His speed however allowed him to quickly duck out of the way and continue forward. Having her second hand ready, Katara pulled out the other half of her water and launched it as well. This time though the opened her palm, causing the new stream to split into four smaller ones and removing any room for him to evade this time. Grunting out, Tenya kicked off the ground and shot out to his left to evade as the multitude of whips slapped into the concrete where he was before.

"I have to be faster…" Iida whispered to himself and charged forward again. "I won't lose this, Katara!"

Frowning, Katara pulled all of the water back before slashing out towards him. Iida dropped to the ground and slid underneath the flying water blade and kicked off the ground leaping into the air above bringing his leg down towards her. Katara dipped her body backwards and avoided the axe kick coming down and flipped her hand upwards creating a water whip from below her feet to shoot up towards him. Iida's eyes widened when he saw he water about to reach his body, igniting his legs and spinning his body midair barely avoiding the rising stream. Katara herself was surprised at his move, ducking down as he threw out a kick midair just missing the top of her head. The moment his foot touched the ground, his quirk launched him forward again and tried another spinning round house kick, but Katara flipped into a back handspring avoiding him once again and shooting out an ice spike.

Iida barely moved his body out of the way, the ice spike tearing through a piece of his shirt. He glared up and watched as she spun her body around and swung her arm upwards to form a small ice spiked barrier between the two of them, just big enough where he couldn't simply run straight through it. He sat back instead of charging forward, seeing in just a few moves he had to rethink his strategy.

"WOW, IN ONLY A FEW SECONDS WE HAD QUITE THE EXCHANGE! THIS IS CERTAINLY A COIN TOSS FOR ME TO CALL!" Mic's voice called out bringing another cheer from the crowd. Iida huffed out in frustration to the commentary, but he had to be honest to her abilities.

"You are truly talented Katara. You are able to react to my speed very well." he admitted out loud.

Katara nodded her head to his compliment. "You're pretty good at dodging my water too."

She knew his speed was very impressive, and if she wasn't careful it would certainly catch her off guard. She also knew his one technique he used in the calvary battle was even faster, hoping she could finish this before he used it. She brought her hands in front of her body and summoned two streams of water that encircled her body. Tenya huffed out as he saw her protection, knowing he couldn't run in like before. He needed to take the risk.

'I have no choice but to use that. If I can get her out of bounds then that will be it.' he pondered to himself. He lowered his body again as his exhaust pipes began heating up, the flames heating up until they were a bright blue.

Katara saw the fire and clenched her teeth. She brought one of her hands down and bended some of the ice below back into water and lifted it up to encase her wrists. "Here he comes."

"Recipro burst!"

Even watching him Katara was shocked by how fast Tenya launched across the arena towards her. She swiped her arms forward shooting off several streams of water, but they only hit air as he was instantly passed her and already behind her body. She tried to spin back and throw another water whip, only to once again miss him entirely.

"nine seconds left!" Iida yelled to himself as he launched towards her again.

Katara jumped back and bended up the ice she made earlier and shot forward a thicker stream towards him, but she was really shocked when his ignited leg swept upward and kicked through her water whip.

"What?" she gasped out as he smirked towards her.

"My legs are stronger than before!" Iida yelled and sped towards her.

Even as she saw him coming, Katara could barely react as he covered the space between them instantly. She tried swiping her water forward, but Tenya's agility dodged her several water streams and was in front of her face. She tried bringing her arm forward, only for his right leg to kick up and knock her arm up and out of the way, leaving her stomach fully exposed. Iida saw his chance and ignited his leg once more and spun his body around, picking up speed as his foot remained outward. Katara could only watch wide eyed his leg whipped around, connecting straight into her ribs and lifting her feet off the ground.

The loud hit reverberated throughout the arena, causing Mina and some of the others to gasp out in shock. "Jeez, that was a hard hit!"

"Iida didn't even try to hold back on that one. Damn…" Sero grimaced at the blow.

Katara herself buckled over from the immense pain in her body, wheezing out from the air being knocked out of her lungs. Before she could even fall to the ground, Tenya grabbed the back of her shirt and bolted across the stage dragging her through the air. The edge of the stage was right there, all he had to do was get her out and he won. He pushed his legs faster, his feet barely touching the ground from his speed. But just before he reached, his legs suddenly locked up causing him to trip and bounce across the ground.

"What the?" he shouted out in confusion, flipping up to his feet and looking down at his legs. When he did, his eyes shot open in shock. "What?"

His exhaust pipes on both legs were frozen shut.

From her spot, Katara wobbled up to her feet with her arm still wrapped around her stomach. Her breathing was hoarse from the intense pain flowing through her. She panted out as she glared to the downed speedster, her hand dripping water from her wrists, the small mount she saved earlier coming in to save her. He gritted his teeth in frustration but saw the rest of her water was far across the stage. If he could still run over, he could pull her and throw her out. Just then however, her palm then swiped through the air, causing Iida to stare in disbelief. "How… you are…"

His words fell silent as she gathered a handful of water, pulling the moisture from the air and into a small ball in her hand. "I'm not that fast at this still…" she huffed out between her breathing. "… But I can do it when necessary!"

She shot the ball forward and froze it into ice striking him in the chest. He winced out from the sudden hit, not able to even process what happened before Katara came in and slammed her body into his throwing him backwards. He flailed out as he fell passed the edge of the arena and onto his back on the grass; outside of the stage.

Midnight grinned and snapped her whip out in front of her. "Iida is out of bounds! Katara wins!"

The crowd screamed out in excitement to the high paced match that concluded, along with the classmates sitting amazed to the performance.

"Woohoo! I told you Katara would take it!" Mina cheered out happily.

Momo blew out a sigh of relief seeing how close the match was. She was worried about what the outcome was going to be, but it seemed to work out for her friends favor. She then noticed Midoriya walking up and towards the stairs. "You aren't going to wait and see how she is doing?" she asked him.

"I would like to… but I need to get down to my own match." he whispered out as he clenched his fists. He wanted to go and prepare himself in the waiting room, but he wanted to see how this match turned out, and was happy he did stay. He gave a small smile to Momo. "Tell her congratulations for me."

Momo almost forgot he was up next, and nodded back to him. "Good luck out there."

On his back down below, Iida's eyes were clenched shut in frustration with himself. "I lost… again."

He sat up from the ground, feeling horrible this is how he demonstrated his abilities in front of his brother. He couldn't even make it to the later rounds, and he was going to live up to Ingenium? He scolded himself for allowing this to happen. His thoughts however were disrupted by the hand reaching down to him. He looked up in surprise to see Katara standing there offering him help up even as she clenched her ribs.

"You did good, Iida." She grunted out through her pain.

"Ohhh! What wonderful sportsmanship!" Midnight squealed out in her own pleasure to the sight.

At first he was surprised, Iida couldn't help but smile himself and take her hand and stood up. As he pulled against her hand though it caused her yelp out in pain from the pressure. Iida's smile dropped when he saw her buckle over, catching her before she dropped. "I can help you to the medical room so you can be healed for your next match."

Silently shaking her head, Katara moved away stood on her own. "Thanks, but I can manage it there." She turned and walked towards the edge of the ring as she glanced back over her shoulder. "It's like you wanted, right? We don't need to rely on each other."

The last words felt like a gut punch to Iida, seeing the upset look on her face. He had wanted to win so badly he was only focused on more than just the goal, but solely on surpassing her. He looked up into the crowd imagining his brother was looking down to him, now worried on what he would be thinking of him at this moment. His eyes turned back to try and say something, but Katara was already down the steps and through her tunnel.

* * *

Muah!

Katara winced as Recovery Girls quirk passed through her lips onto Katara's cheek once again, immediately soothing the pain she felt in her side. After a few more moments the elder nurse retracted her lips and smiled.

"So you should feel a little sore for a little, but it will wear away by the time your next match starts." She said with a nod.

"Thank you." Katara reached down and rubbed her stomach, happy only a slight tenderness remained. "It wasn't as bad as my last injury you healed. I think my own healing helped it on the way here."

"Of course. It seemed your own quirk did a lot of it, and there were no broken bones this time. There were some intense bruising to your rib cage, however. You took quite the hit in your match."

Katara frowned to herself. "Yeah, it was quite the hit."

The older woman noticed the look on her face and sighed. "I know you must be upset with your friend, but you shouldn't hold it against him. In competition, sometimes even the closest of people tend to take it too serious and don't hold back."

"It's that I got hurt from him that I'm upset. It's this whole thing he started between us that I don't get." Katara explained, only getting a small chuckle from the nurse.

"Sometimes when you are close to someone, the strive to be stronger is even more apparent. It's human nature to want to succeed, and those who notice those close passing them, they want to try even harder."

Katara sighed and stood up from her seat. "I should head back now. Thanks again."

Recovery Girl gave a nod to her. "Take care, and good luck with your next match. Try not and end up in here again, why don't you?"

Katara chuckled at that and gave a small bow to her before she opened the door back to the hallway. When she walked through however, she was surprised when she bumped into a familiar face standing there.

"Hello Katara…" Iida gave a bow towards her, "I hope you are feeling well."

Furrowing her brow, Katara walked passed him down the hallway. "I'm fine."

Seeing the look on her face made Iida's stomach ache. He ran up and gripped her shoulder. "Katara wait. I need to talk to you."

"What do you need to talk about?" She snapped back. "You determined to not give up and challenge me again?"

"I need to tell you I'm sorry."

That did catch her attention, causing the waterbender to turn and look at him. "What?"

Iida took a deep breath and lowered his head. "I did want to challenge you. Since school started, I saw how truly talented you were. Every event that we competed in, you surpassed me and beat my score. And in this festival, I wanted to prove that I could hold my own against you. And…" he paused as he rubbed his head. "I may have taken it a little too far."

She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "A little?"

He blushed in embarrassment and looked back at her. "Is your stomach okay? I may have hit you harder than expected."

Katara huffed out. "I am fine now, don't worry. And I am not upset with your attack. It's a competition so I assumed you wanted to win. But I felt like you were almost angry with me for winning."

Iida closed his eyes for a moment before he chuckled. "Maybe I was. You had barely arrived here in Japan and already you are so good. I didn't want to be left behind, but now I see the truth."

She raised her eyebrow in confusion. "And what is that?"

He smiled down at her. "You are better than me."

Katara sat silent for a few moments before she finally laughed, rubbing her arm as she smiled back. "I appreciate it, but you better not just accept that." she reached up and patted his shoulder. "I wouldn't like a rival to slack off his training."

Iida's mouth dropped a bit before he smirked back at her. "Are you sure you want a rematch sometime?"

"I think you may need to get a little faster next time." She teased as she turned away laughing, happy when she heard him chuckle behind her as they walked. She couldn't stay mad at him. Katara knew better than anyone how jealousy can affect someone. Hell, when it got to her, she ended up getting her friends all captured by pirates.

"Katara…"

Hearing her name, Katara turned up to him as he came by her side. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

She smiled to herself as they came out into the sunlight of the arena. "You're welcome."

as the two of them made it down the steps, the others in the class turned back to their arrival.

"Yo, that was a cool match! Sick fight down there!" Kirishima gave a thumbs up to the both of them.

"That was really good Katara. Ribbit." Tsu nodded up. "Nice try, Iida."

Iida gave a nod back to her and walked down and took a seat near Uraraka, the gravity girl patting his shoulder. "Hey, nice try. That was really close." she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Uraraka," he smiled back at her, "It was a great match for the both of us. I just have to be stronger next time." He paused to take out his phone and look through his history. He raised his eyebrow in surprise when he noticed Tensei had not called him yet after the match. He assumed he would have been contacted after to give his thoughts to their match.

"Perhaps he wants to give me some time to myself…" He sighed to himself and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He would just wait for his brother to call him later then.

Katara looked over and saw an empty seat near Yaoyorozu, the dark haired girl smiling up at her. Smiling back, Katara walked over and laid her bottom down in the spot.

"That was amazing. Great job down there." Momo happily said.

"Thanks. It was close for both of us." Katara responded. She then noticed Momo continued to stare at her with her eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Are… are you two okay?" Momo asked, motioning towards Iida. "You were really upset before the match started."

Taking a deep breath, Katara nodded to her head. "Yes, we are fine now. We talked about it afterward and it's okay. He just got a little caught up in the competition."

"Well that's good. I was a little worried you would be upset with each other afterward."

"I was… but it's not worth holding onto it over something like this."

Momo nodded in agreement and looked back to the stage. "Well now that you made it passed the first round, you have the next fight to ready yourself."

Katara suddenly remembered Kaminari was in the mach before her, glancing over to the electric teen pouting to himself. Judging by his face she could tell he had lost. She looked over to the bracket on the jumbo monitor and saw she had to battle Shiozake next. From what she could remember, she was that vine haired girl on Kendo's team from the calvary battle. Before she could begin thinking about the class B student, she noticed Todoroki's eyes locked onto her. All other senses seemed to be blocked as the two teens stared at each other, the conversation from the tunnel coming back into Katara's mind. She also knew if she continued passed her next opponent, she would be facing him down there. She turned away and swallowed the small lump in her throat, looking back down to the arena below.

"ALRIGHTY FOLKS! IT'S TIME FOR THE THIRD MATCH OF THE FESTIVAL! FIRST, WE HAVE ONE WHO HAS PROVEN TO EVERYONE THAT CLASS B IS HERE TO SHOW WHAT THEY GOT. ENTERED IN THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE HERO COURSE, JUZO HONENUKI! VERUS, THIS GUY LIT UP THE OBSTACLE COURSE WITH HIS FLASHY MINE STUNT. ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, IZUKU MIDORIYIA!"

"You can do this, Deku! Go get him!" Uraraka cheered out, smiling down happily as she watched her friend walk across the stage. Katara looked over and noticed Momo's hands suddenly clench tight, the taller teens eyes locked onto the arena beneath them.

"Do you think he will be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked, her eyes filled with worry. "It seems every time he tries using his quirk, he gets hurt."

Katara was thinking the same thing unfortunately. Without control, he was bound to get injured somehow from his quirk. She did however remember when he tried saving her from the Nomu back in the USJ, and he was able to land a hit without breaking anything. She could only hope that somehow pull something like that off now.

"He will be fine. He's strong, and doesn't know when to give up." Katara said, a smile forming on her face. "He will win this."

Feeling sweat dripping down his forehead, Midoriya popped his fingers as he stared across the stage to his opponent. The skull faced teen was stretching his arms while his lipless mouth grinned towards him. "He made it in through recommendations, just like Yaoyorozu and Todoroki." Midoriya whispered to himself, "So he is obviously very talented. That quirk he used earlier was very strange as well. I'll have to somehow avoid that from getting me."

"NOW LETS GET READY TO GO!" Mic's voice rang through preparing the crowd and combatants.

"START!"

Juzo's foot slammed into the ground, the softening trail of concrete racing out from him towards Midoriya, who in turn leaped out of the way and rolled onto the solid ground. Sprinting forward, Midoriya charged head on along the shifting ground. "If I can avoid his quirk, then I should be fine!"

Juzo only grinned wider at the move. "Nice try, but I can do more than that!" he turned and pressed his hand into the ground below him, causing the once shifting ground to stop moving and the ground surrounding him suddenly softened as well. Midoriya yelped and skidded to a stop before he fell into the rippling ground.

"Woah! That was close…" he jumped backwards and caught his balance before grunting in frustration. Seeing his opponent could change the ground to his liking means he couldn't just run in. Now Midoriya saw he was at the disadvantage now. "At least he can't get to me through his own quirk." Although not more than a second later did Juzo dive into the mud like ground and disappear.

"Nevermind that!" Midoriya yelled to himself as he watched Juzo leaped through the surface straight towards him. Jumping back, Izuku barely evaded the others incoming punch as he regained his footing. While still surprised, Midoriya gritted his teeth and charged forward as well with a punch of his own. The two exchanged in several attempted hits on the other with nothing landing before Midoriya tried another swinging punch for Juzo to duck underneath and slam his hand into the ground again. Izuku yelped in shock as he felt his legs suddenly sinking into the ground.

'Crap! I didn't think he would use his quirk so close!' Izuku panicked inside as he felt his knees disappear into the muck beneath himself. With nothing to grab onto he had no way of pulling himself out. His mind ran a mile a minute, but it all came down to a simple solution; to break himself free. He gritted his teeth and aimed his left hand down to the ground. "Smash!"

The powerful eruption of air from his flick ripped the soft ground apart as if it were water and lifted Izuku into the air several feet and free from capture. Juzo himself was nearly blown off his feet from the powerful gust. "What in the hell is that power? What kind of quirk is that?"

Landing back on his feet, Midoriya gritted his teeth as his left middle finger throbbed in pain, He mentally cheered for himself however seeing he was able to get out of his opponents quirk. Knowing he couldn't just run up and attack because of the softening ground, perhaps if he used One for All a few times he may actually be able to knock him out of bounds and end this even faster.

"It's risky… but it's the best plan I got!" Midoriya lifted his arm and aimed towards his foe once more, his next finger glowing as he charged his flick.

Juzo saw his attack and grunted out. "Why don't you try this on for size then!" he yelled and slammed his foot into the ground once again, creating another surge of softening ground towards Midoriya. Seeing the incoming ground made Midoriya glare and lower to aim at the surge of mud like concrete.

"Smash!"

Another flick ripped the channel of ground out from the arena the force slamming into Juzo and threw him across the stage. The class B student winced from the pain in his side from landing and looked up to Midoriya across the arena, seeing the two broken fingers on his hand now. "What the hell are you doing? You're breaking your own body doing those attacks." he asked in confusion. Midoriya forced his fist to clench as he glared through the pain.

"I don't have a quirk that doesn't hurt myself like you do. I… am not that lucky like everyone else…" Midoriya grunted out, a grin forming on his face, "But I want to be a hero more than anything in the world. If I let my own quirk get in the way of that dream, then what kind of a hero could I be!?"

Juzo's eyes widened in surprise to those words. He couldn't help but respect the heart of someone so dedicated to their dream. Smirking back, he slammed both of his hands into the ground activating his quirk again. "Alright then, let's get this going once more!"

Over half the stadium suddenly turned soft from his power, Midoriya backing up as the liquid like ground came closer. As Juzo dove into the muck, Izuku readied his left arm again and fired another flick straight down the center of the pool ripping the stone apart splitting the softened ground into two sections. He frowned from the new wave of pain and to the fact he saw that he had missed his target, his eyes darting back and forth between the two pools now. Unsure which side Juzo was on, he prepared both hands and aimed each on to their own target.

"Double smash!"

Twin shockwaves rushed out from the green haired teen and ripped into both sections of the softened stage. Looking through his squinted eyes, Midoriya could make out Juzo flailing inside of the left section. "I found you!" Sprinting forward, he clenched his right fist and readied himself. As soon as the force stopped, Juzo stood up trying to catch his breath, but was shocked as he saw his opponent nearly on top of him. He quickly reactivated his quirk and created a softened path in front of Midoriya who leaped through the air over it.

"The egg in the microwave…" Midoriya hissed through his teeth as his fist began to glow. "It won't explode. It won't… it won't… It won't!"

The crowd gasped out as Midoriya landed a solid hit to Juzo's face sending him spinning backwards. While he was dizzy from the hit, the skull faced teen reached down through the air and hit the ground once more. Midoriya's eyes widened as another surge of softened ground rushed out beneath him, having no time to think of a plan as his feet began to make contact with the surface. Panicking, he could only raise his right fist up and bring it back down towards the ground without holding back.

"SMASH!"

Katara could feel the force of Midoriya's next attack rip through the stadium as her hair was whipped behind her. The others all sat in disbelief to the eruption of power coming from below. Both her and Momo leaned forward trying to see through the thick cloud of dust that formed from the impact into the ground. After a few seconds the air began to clear, and they both noticed a single finger standing in the center of the destroyed ring still. It was hard to make out, but they could eventually make out the familiar green hair and smiled.

"Honenuki is out of bounds," Midnight announced, "Midoriya wins!"

The crowd erupted in cheer to the destructive match that just concluded, Katara sighing in relief as she sat back in her chair. She smiled over to Momo to tell her why she shouldn't have worried, but the look on her friends face kept her silent. Yaoyorozu's eyes were widened in shock as she raised her hand to cover her mouth, a look of fear plastered to her. Katara turned back to the arena, and felt her mouth drop open as the dust cleared more.

Midoriya was standing, yes, but to say he won the match was hard to admit. His left hand fingers were all broken and disjointed, the deep red bruising covering all of his digits. His right arm was in even worse shape, hanging limp to his side and dripping blood from a deep gash across his knuckles. His face was etched in pain even as he stood victorious, looking up to the teachers section of the stadium. He met eyes with All Might who tried to smile and show his admiration to winning, but the hero couldn't ignore the feeling in his stomach.

' _Midoriya, you have won your match, but if you are not able to recover fully, you won't be able to win this tournament.'_ All Might whispered internally seeing his pupil in pain. He stood up and made his way towards the medical bay to meet with him there.

* * *

Alone in the stadium hallway, Todoroki took several sips from the water fountain. He stood up and shut his eyes for a few moments, letting the calm and silent air clear his thoughts for the next match. He had already been thinking about Katara's possible showdown later in the tournament, but after seeing Midoriya he had another on his mind. To actually watch his abilities for an entire match allowed him to really see what he was capable of. As he rounded the corner however, he scowled when he saw a single man leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" He growled out to his father.

"Is that a way to talk to your father?" Endeavor scoffed out. "I came to give you advice on your match."

Shoto gritted his teeth and looked away. "I don't need any advice from you."

"Clearly, since your strategy has worked out so well during this festival." Endeavor sneered, not caring about the glare he received. "You lost in the race and you came in last during that team match."

"Did you come just to criticize me?" Shoto grunted and began to walk passed his dad. "The festival isn't over yet."

"Yes, and you are only causing yourself trouble by being so stubborn. I will say that girls abilities are quite surprising, but you are being a fool by letting her counter you like you have been doing. You would easily overcome that by using your other half."

Frost crept up Shoto's arms as he listened to those words. He glared back over his shoulder to the flame hero standing there, his heart rate rising even higher as he looked into those blue eyes he despised so much. "If you think your little pep talk will change my mind, it will not work. I don't need your power to win this tournament."

Endeavor grumbled in annoyance watching his son walk away from him. "That last boy will cause you trouble if you continue this little temper tantrum you are on. This festival is more than just a first place trophy. It's the time to show the world how powerful my lineage is now. You believe you can do this without my fire? What will you do when you reach your limit with your right side?"

Shoto ignored his father's words and continued down the hall. His teeth clenched together in hatred as he looked ahead to the open doorway to the stage ahead. With his moment of peace destroyed, he could only think of one way to get is frustration out.

* * *

As Cementoss finished repairing the arena, some of class A chatted about the match about to start, but Katara and a few others began to grow curious as another classmate had failed to return from his completed battle. Both her and Momo continued to glance over their shoulders to the steps waiting to see Midoriya come back, but they were still met with an empty staircase.

"What would be taking him so long to come back here?" Yaoyorozu worryingly asked.

"Well he probably went to the medical room to see Recovery girl like I did." Katara responded, "He… did hurt himself quite a bit."

Momo frowned thinking back to the match she just witnessed, gripping her arm remembering the look of pain on his face. "But will he be okay? They had to take some extra time to fix the stage and he still hasn't come out."

Katara wanted to be positive and hope for the best… but she was beginning to worry a little herself. Watching that last match she saw him break more bones than she had seen all year. She could only hope he was feeling better and could get back here soon. She then saw the fire light up on the stage below as the two combatants walked towards each other. While she was still thinking of her friend, she couldn't help but be curious on what was going go happen here.

"ALRIGHTY Y'ALL! SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY, BUT LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD AGAIN! THIS MATCH HAS THIS STICKY GUY READY TO TAPE UP HIS FOES! FROM THE HERO COURSE, HANTA SERO! VERSUS… THIS ICY MONSTER HAS FROZEN EVERYONE ELSE IN THEIR TRACKS! FROM THE HERO COURSE THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS, SHOTO TODOROKI!"

Leaning forward slightly, Katara stared down at the arena with an intense gaze. She had not been able to really see Todoroki in a fight since his mock battle ended in a few seconds, and against someone with range like Sero it meant he had to watch himself. She was really curious to see how this was going to play out.

Sero stretched his arms over his head and sighed. "Awe man, going up against you is not what I expected. But…"

"START!"

Sero smirked and launched his tape out encasing Todoroki's chest. "I don't wanna lose though!"

Katara's eyes widened as she watched Sero whip his arms around pulling Todoroki across the stage. Her surprise however, was nothing compared to what she felt after Shoto slammed his right foot into the arena.

Everything in the waterbenders field of vision became a wall of blue and white in only a few seconds. The glacier of ice erupting out from the stage engulfed an entire half of the stadium in an instant, the powerful force shaking the very foundation of the arena. Katara's mouth hung open in complete shock as she followed the mountain of ice up into the sky and out over the top of the high festival lights over a hundred feet above her head. She looked back down to see the ice user standing below, his eyes glaring out as he exhaled a cloud of frost from his mouth and shattered the frozen tape from his body. Even Present Mic was silenced in shock from the display of power.

She knew he was powerful, but nothing prepared her for this. Even a full team of waterbenders would have struggled to create such a massive formation of ice… and he did it instantly by himself.

The ref Midnight stood half frozen on the side of the arena, shivering as she looked to the boy stuck in the ice. "T-tell the truth S-Sero, can you move?"

Sero shivered horribly from his ice prison, only his face sticking out of the glacier. "O-o-of course not. Ow…."

"Sero is i-immobilized. Todoroki wins!"

Grunting out to himself, Todoroki walked up and placed his left hand onto Sero's frozen body. He frowned as the cloud of steam erupted out as the ice melted. "I'm sorry. I went overboard…" he hissed out as he looked up to his father glaring down at him. "… I was angry."

Katara noticed the direction of his gaze and followed it to see Endeavor, feeling her heart rate jump instantly. It was not out of fear but of anger this time, thinking back to what Shoto told her in the tunnel. She now understood why he was so distant from anyone, and why even after winning his match now… he looked so sad.

**Notes: First half of the first rounds in the books! now i honestly never planned for Iida to become so jealous of Katara, but it felt like a cool addition to the story. But now we have Todoroki to worry about later.**

**Fun part is most of the matches to write still are all different from the canon, so be ready for some interesting fights! till next time!**


	24. Helpless

Once the ice had been removed and the crowd got over their shock from the last match, the fire torches sprung to life as the next combatants walked onto the stage.

"ALRIGHT Y'ALL! WE HAVE A RED HEADED BEAUTY WITH SOME SERIOUS HANDS OF STONE! FROM THE HERO COURSE, ITSUKA KENDO! VERSUS… THE ACID WIELDING WARRIOR, WILL ANY OF IT COME OUT OF HER HORNS!? FROM THE HERO COURSE, MINA ASHIDO!"

Down on the stage, Kendo gave a small bow out of respect before readying herself. "Hope we can put on a good show after those last matches, right?"

Mina simply popped her knuckles and smirked towards her opponent. "Meh, I wouldn't worry about that, but it's time for me to kick your big handed butt."

"Oh, is that so?" Kendo grinned and got into her fighting stance. "Let's find out then."

"START!"

"Alright!" Kendo took the initiative and charged first. Mina quickly filled her hands with acid and began throwing them forward towards the incoming girl. Kendo's agility was just enough to dodge her way in and out between the flying acidic balls and come in close, expanding her hands out to their larger sizes and swinging them forward. Mina yelped and flipped backwards just as the massive punch rushed towards her.

"Woah, those things are fast!" Mina yelled out as she caught her balance and stepped back. She only had a second to breathe before another fist came straight towards her face. The pink teen dropped into the splits as the large hand whipped by her hair, quickly spinning herself and sweeping out Kendo's legs from underneath her. The red head yelled in surprise as she fell backwards to the ground while Mina flipped up from her hands and swung her leg down towards her foe. Kendo barely got her hand to block in time as the foot connected to her palm. Gritting her teeth, Kendo threw her hand out shoving Mina off of her, who threw her own body backwards landing on her hands and spinning before flipping back to her feet.

"What are you, some sort of break dancer?" Kendo sarcastically asked as she stood up to her feet, earning a snicker from her opponent.

"I may have had a lesson or two," Mina chuckled as she bounced on her toes. "Comes in handy when you need it."

"Well, it won't help you with me!" Kendo kicked off the ground and ducked under a single incoming ball of acid and threw a leg sweep out. Mina flipped over the incoming leg, but was then left in the air as Kendo's hands expanded outward and clasped over her body catching her.

"Ow, that hurt!" Mina growled out as she struggled to wiggle her body loose, but the enormous hands held strong and refused to budge. "wow, they are strong, too!"

"WOW, LOOKS LIKE ASHIDO HAS BEEN CAUGHT LIKE A BUZZING FLY! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN!?" Mic shouted out his commentary to the match.

"Got you now," Kendo smirked as she began carrying Mina towards the edge. "Now all I have to do is- Agh!"

Kendo yelled out in pain to the stinging sensation in her palms. She was forced to open her hands allowing Mina to escape, the pink girl's hands dripping with acid. "That's dirty." Kendo growled out.

"You do whatever you can to win!" Mina smirked and threw several more acid chunks towards Kendo's feet making her stumble back evading them, leaving her open for an attack. Mina clenched her fist and leaped forward. "And I for sure wanna win!"

The right cross to Kendo's face sent a loud crack through the air, many thinking a straight hit like that would have been the end. To Mina's shock however, Kendo turned towards her even with the fist smashed into her cheek. Some blood dripped down the red headed teen's mouth as she smirked through the pain, her left hand raised up behind her. "My turn."

Mina could only watch in terror as the fist expanded out to it's full size. "Oh shit…"

Ashido could barely get her arms in front of her in time as the massive fist collided with her block, but the force was far too much. She felt her body launched through the air and skid across the grass and onto her back.

"Ashido is out! Kendo wins!" Midnight announced to the crowd.

Seeing the outcome was certainly surprising for the class A students. Mina was one of the more athletic members there, and she was taken out with such an overwhelming hit. Tokoyami frowned to himself seeing his classmate knocked out of bounds. "I feel bad for Ashido. The power difference was very surprising."

"Yeah, that Kendo girl is pretty tough." Kaminari chimed in.

Both Katara and Momo sighed in disappointment. They had hoped Mina could have continued, but it seemed that luck wasn't on her side today.

"Well isn't this a shocker now, huh!?"

Katara and the others looked up to the sudden voice above them, frowning when they saw Monoma wided eyed and grinning down at them from the class B section. "What's this weirdo want?" Kaminari grunted from his seat.

The crazed class B student continued to smirk down at them as he laughed to himself. "Isn't class A supposed to be the better class, and yet class B has been victorious again!? What a shocking outcome! It seems your class is not all big and bad like you claim! And we still have another one of ours competing still! Maybe class B will take the spotlight away from you all for once! AHAHAHAHAA!"

"Dude, you take this stuff way too seriously." Juzo frowned to his classmates antics.

"what's with this guy?" Kirishima moaned in annoyance, knowing he also had to face is class B counterpart.

"Just ignore him, maybe he'll shut up eventually." Jiro rolled her eyes and leaned back into her seat.

While the crowds cheers slowly died, Katara looked through the other classmates and saw Tokoyami standing up from his seat and walk towards the steps. "Heading down now?" She asked him, still surprised he didn't go down earlier like Uraraka did.

"Yes, I should have gone down earlier, but I was curious to see Ashido's match. I hope to see my name on the board for the next round." Tokoyami explained.

Katara grinned up to him. "Agreed. Maybe we can have a rematch to our last battle."

Tokoyami let out a small sigh but smiled. "Perhaps, but I saw your talent back at the USJ. I think we both know how that would turn out for us."

As he walked by her, Momo raised her eyebrow towards Katara to that statement. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Katara chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "I… may have shown him one of my special moves back then."

Momo rolled her eyes and laughed to the statement. "Another special move? What else do you have to surprise us with?"

That statement caused Katara to blush slightly, turning away to hide the look on her face. _'You have no idea…'_ She whispered internally. She then caught sight of someone at the top of the steps that surprised her. "Midoriya?"

Momo felt her heart skip a beat when she heard his name, her face heating up slightly for a moment confusing her. ' _I-I was just concerned for him, that's all! I mean… just concerned about his condition and all.'_ She tried telling herself. She shook her head to why she was so flustered, turning around to say congratulations, but what she saw made her heart drop. "Midoriya?"

Midoriya slowly made his way down the steps, his right arm still slung in a cast and his left fingers wrapped up. His head was hung low in disappointment, not like someone who just claimed victory. His eyes were distant as he blankly stared to the ground, his mind too distracted to hear his name until he felt a hand grip his forearm startling him. He glanced over to see Katara retracting her hand. "Oh.. S-sorry, I didn't hear you." he quietly mumbled.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Katara asked him, "You just won, but you don't seem happy at all."

"Yeah and you didn't come back for a while. I-" Momo blushed when she realized what she was about to say before clearing her throat. "-We were getting worried and…"

She stopped talking when she saw the solemn look across his face, stunned silent as he walked passed them and dropped into the next row of seats. Both of them were at a loss for words to the way he was behaving before Midnight walked into the center of the stage below and captured everyone's attention.

"I have just received some news regarding one of the previous contestants. Due to the injuries he sustained from his match, Izuku Midoriya has been deemed unfit to continue on! Therefore, he is scratched from his next match!"

"What!?" Katara gasped out in shock to the news. Momo was also in disbelief, looking down to Midoriya in pity. She felt her heart clench as she remembered what he told her on the beach, this opportunity to finally prove to the world about who he could be. And now it was done for him, and he didn't even lose.

"Midoriya…" She whispered out in pain seeing his dream crushed. He didn't even lift his head to the news announced, obvious he already knew this was coming.

* * *

_Fifteen minutes earlier_

_Midoriya wobbled slightly as Recovery Girl's lips retracted off of him, sighing in relief that the majority of the pain was gone. "Thank you, ma'am. I- Ouch!" he winced out as his right arm twitched, still somewhat red and swollen in the sling "I guess I need another treatment later."_

_The nurse frowned and turned away from him, making him blush in embarrassment as All Might chuckled. "Perhaps she's a little upset you are causing her more work every time she sees you."_

" _Y-yeah, my bad." Midoriya laughed and rubbed his head with his left, which he also had to be careful since they were still sensitive. "So, how long until I can get this fixed? I have my next match later."_

_The nurse sighed as she put her clipboard back down and looked back to him. "There won't be another treatment today."_

_Midoriya's eyes shot open in confusion. "What? How am I supposed to compete then!? I qualified for the next match and I-_

" _And then what, are you going to injure yourself again and be in here?" Recovery girl shot out, shocking the other two in the room. "Your fingers are still in a sprained state since you already broke them earlier today. Your right arm was shattered, not mentioning your right finger that was broken twice in one match when you reused it. Your body can only take so much punishment in one day. You need time for it to heal."_

" _Wait, you need to reconsider this…" All Might pleaded to the smaller woman, "Midoriya is more determined than anyone to prove today why- OW!"_

_All Might clenched his smacked nose as the nurse retracted her cane and glared up to him. "I blame you more for this, All Might. In just a few months I've healed both of his legs twice, and this is the third time his right arm has been broken. I cannot heal him anymore than I have now for his own safety. Therefore…" she took a breath in shame to what she had to say. "I am ordering his next match to me called off."_

_Both hero and apprentice were struck by the news, Midoriya's mouth trembling in disbelief. "Wh-what…"_

" _No, please. You can't do this already…" All Might pleaded, "You are taking Midoriya's chance at proving himself by doing this. If this ends for him now, how-_

_Toshinori was cut off as Midoriya opened the door to the room and left without saying a word, leaving the hero with a hard pain in his stomach. "Midoriya…"_

" _All Might…" Recovery Girl sighed out, "If he injures himself again this fast, he may start ending up with lasting damage. Not even my healing can solve everything. And after I finish his treatment tomorrow, I won't heal injuries like this anymore."_

_Toshinori gasped in shock, seeing the one benefit to Midoriya's injuries now shutting the door on him as she continued._

" _You must find a way for him to control the power you gave him, and soon. Otherwise he will never progress to the level he needs to be."_

_Not sure what else to say, Toshinori left the room as well to look for Midoriya, but found the boy standing alone in the hallway. He felt his stomach clench as he approached the boy from behind, knowing how much pain he was in right now. "Midoriya, I know you must be disappointed, but you can't let this keep you down. Everyone deals with struggle trying-_

" _All Might…" Midoriya's shaky words came out, his shoulders shuttering slightly. "Was it all a mistake? Should… should someone like me ever have been given one for all? Does… a quirkless kid like me deserve this power?"_

* * *

Midoriya gritted his teeth in shame to his condition. Even after All Might explained how he himself was quirkless before one for all, Izuku couldn't shake the fact he had been defeated. Not by an enemy with overwhelming strength, but he was beaten by himself. That fact alone is what stung more than anything to him. He felt worthless to be the wielder of such a great power. He felt the presence of someone staring at him, turning to see Bakugo glaring his direction. The exploding teen sneered to himself and looked back forward.

' _You really are pathetic, Deku…'_ he whispered internally before clenching his fist. _'… And I lost to you… so what the hell does that make me?'_ Bakugo glanced over towards Yaoyorozu, who just so happened to look his direction at the same time. His cold glare sent a chill down her neck as he stood up and walked towards the steps, his eyes locked onto the creationist. "Don't think your top score during the test will help you. You better not disappoint me down there."

Momo felt her body shake slightly as he stomped passed her, gripping her arm as she realized her fight was coming closer. She glanced over to Katara who was still looking down to Midoriya in pity, and slowly got up from her seat and silently went up the stairs as well to prepare herself. How much it would actually help was to be determined.

Out of the corner of his eye, Todoroki stared at what would have been his opponent later in disappointment. He himself was getting a bypass and a free ride to the semi finals… but it felt unwarranted. Even though he wanted to win, he wanted to earn it himself. This not how he wanted to get a victory. He leaned back in his seat as he looked back to the stage to the next combatants.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! WHILE IT IS UNFORTUNATE NEWS FOR OUR ONE CONTESTANT, THIS MEANS THAT TODOROKI WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND AUTOMATICALLY. BUT FOR NOW, IT'S TIME TO GET THIS NEXT ROUND GOING! FIGHTING NEXT, WE HAVE OFFENSE AND DEFENSE IN ONE BODY! FROM THE HERO COURSE, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI! VERSUS… THIS GIRL WILL FLOAT YOUR HEARTS AWAY! FROM THE HERO COURSE, OCHACO URARAKA!"

Uraraka looked up towards her class, her eyes catching sight of Midoriya looking down her direction. She felt horrible when she heard the news of his match. To see him try so hard and not be allowed to continue made her heart ache. But when she saw his eyes meet with hers, she felt butterflies in her stomach when he gave a small smile and nod towards her. She blushed and looked down to the ground, feeling warm that he was still encouraging her in his state.

"He tried so hard, and now it's my turn…" Uraraka clenched her fists and stared forward. "It's time I do the same!"

"START!"

"Let's go, dark shadow!" Tokoyami yelled out, summoning his quirk out and launching it forward. Uraraka readied herself and jumped out of the way just as the large claws swiped towards her, ducking low and sprinting straight towards Tokoyami. 'If I can touch him, I can float him out of bounds and I win!' she said to herself as she kicked off the ground. Before she could get close enough, however, she felt the sunlight go out and look up in shock as dark shadow was bearing down on her.

" _Got you, now!"_ dark shadow hissed out as he swiped down at Uraraka, the burnette rolling out of range just as its claws swung at her. She could not avoid the second swing as it connected with her shoulder and sent her tumbling a few feet. She grunted and stood back to her feet in determination.

"I'm not going down easy!" uraraka screamed in defiance and rushed forward once more, this time watching as dark shadow approached. "Wait for it…" she whispered to herself as the claws extended out and swiped. "Now!"

Sliding underneath the arm, Uraraka now sprinted as fast as she could right towards Tokoyami, his eyes wide as he was unable to retract dark shadow in time. He threw a punch out to keep her at bay, but she was able to slide passed it and connect her hand onto his chest and activate her quirk.

"Now I got you!" She yelled out and pushed forward, causing Tokoyami to float upward and out towards the edge of the stage. Many gasps came from the crowd as they saw him approaching the edge thinking this was it for him, but Tokoyami kept his calm and knew what to do.

"Dark shadow, do it now." he demanded, the shadow quirk shooting down to the floor of the stage and digging its claws into the concrete and stopping him. Uraraka's eyes went wide in shock.

"What?" she mumbled out as she watched tokoyami use his quirk as an anchor and retract himself back down to the ground. Before she could even move, dark shadow rushed out and its clawed hands latched onto both of her arms pinning her in place. Even as she struggled, she was no match for the quirks strength and was helpless.

"That was a smart move Uraraka, I applaud you for that." Tokoyami nodded even as she tried thrashing in the shadow's grip. "Dark shadow however can go wherever I command him, therefore your quirks power is irrelevant to him."

Gritting her teeth, Uraraka pulled with all of her strength to break her arms loose, but the shadow bird held strong as it picked her up and began carrying her towards the edge. Her eyes stared in fright as the out of bounds line grew closer. She swung her legs to kick at the shadow, but it stayed just out of her range as she panicked. "No, let me go!" she thrashed and thrashed, but went silent as she was dropped onto the concrete outside of the line.

"Uraraka is out of bounds. Tokoyami wins!" Midnight announced with a snap of her whip.

The crowds cheered out to the quick and abrupt end, leaving the gravity girl stunned and defeated. "I… my quirk did nothing…" She looked down to the ground in shame. "He beat me so easily..."

At the top of the steps, Mina came running down in annoyance. "Wait the match is over already? Come on!"

Katara turned up to see the pink girl cross her arms pouting. "It just did yes. Were you in the nurses room?"

"No, I had to go the bathroom. I wanted to see Tokoyami's match." Mina sighed and slumped in the seat behind the waterbender. "Oh well, guess I'll see him in the next round. Would have been fun to go against him."

Katara smiled and patted her friends knee. "Yeah, sorry about the match. You did good, though."

"Yeah. Those big ass hands hurt!" Mina shook her hands and frowned. "My arms are still stinging from that block."

Katara couldn't help but laugh at her statement. "I mean that's one way to describe them. Still, good job though."

"Thanks." Mina then looked down towards the head of green hair sitting there and rubbed the back of her head. "I heard about Midoriya over the intercom. How's he doing?"

"He's… quiet." Katara whispered, giving a small shake of her head. "I'm not sure he really wants to talk about it now."

"Hmm…" Mina groaned to herself and leaned back in her seat. "Such a bummer since he won. Hehe, so far our fabulous five isn't doing so well."

Katara tilted her head in confusion. "The what five?"

Mina grinned back at her. "Yep. I call that our group who went to the beach. So far only you and Tokoyami are going on. Yaomomo's the tie breaker."

"I guess you are right." Katara chuckled and turned to see Momo's response, but was surprised when she didn't see her there. "Wait… where did she go?"

"Oh I passed by Yaoyorozu when I was heading back. She looked a little flustered but didn't want to talk about it."

Katara looked up to the top of the stairs, completely surprised that she never even noticed Yaoyorozu leave. Knowing that she had to face Bakugo though, she understood why Mina said she looked stressed about something. She got up and made her way towards the top of the stairs too.

"Hey, where you going? Kirishima's up next." Mina said as she pointed to the bracket board.

"I'm going to see how she is doing. She was there for me earlier, so its only fair I do the same."

As she disappeared over the top and down the hallway, a set of eyes turned around and watched her disappear, deciding they should follow as well.

* * *

The cheers from the crowd during the next match barely reached the waiting room Yaoyorozu was stationed inside, and she was grateful that was all she could hear. She wanted a calm space to try and relax her nerves, but the more she tried to clear her head the more the image of Bakugo came into her head. She held her arm out and noticed the slight shake in her hands, sneering to herself in disappointment to her fear.

Since coming to school at UA, she had seen what her classmates were capable of. In terms of raw power and battle prowess, he was for sure towards the top of the class. Sure she had her quirk, but time was the issue in this match. She knew he was not the kind to sit around and let her make something that would work against her. The door opening broke her thoughts, making her turn to see who it was. When she saw the culprit, she let out a small sigh and smiled. "Hey, Katara…"

"Hey, how you feeling?" Katara asked her, earning a small grunt in return.

"I mean… as good as I can be." Momo breathed out as she adjusted in her chair.

"You shouldn't worry yourself too much. You can handle this guy."

Yaoyorozu looked back down and clenched her fists, hating the feeling she had inside of her stomach. Before she could answer, the sudden knock on the door surprised both of them, thinking it was another security letting them know to be ready. When it opened, Yaoyorozu's eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Midoriya?"

Izuku came through the door and nodded towards her. His face was more serious than it normally was, especially around just girls. They weren't sure if it was his emotions from his match still over him, but whatever it was, it sent a strange chill through Yaoyorozu's spine.

"I… just wanted to see how you were doing." he calmly stated, "Since you are going against Kachaan, I was hoping to talk to you before."

Momo was really surprised by his words to her. _'He came to see how I was doing?'_ she couldn't help but feel the heat in her cheeks rise, but the nerves in her chest were keeping her in control as she looked away again. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. It's just after seeing him fight, I'm not sure what would be the best thing to do."

Midoriya nodded as he rubbed his injured arm remembering his battle against Bakugo. "He is not just strong, but determined. He will not stop for anything so that he will be the winner. He has always been like this."

Katara thought back to the match she watched between Midoriya and Bakugo, wincing when she imagined how brutal he was again. "I mean… as crazy as he is, you can get around him. He is fast, but you can do this."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Yaoyorozu fake chuckled as she tried calming herself. "And while this is a match, I don't think Bakugo would go all out for this."

Midoriya swallowed the lump in his throat from her statement. He could tell she knew the truth, that he was not the type to hold back against her. She was saying this to try and calm her mind, and he wanted to help her. He pulled out his tattered notepad from his shirt and held it up. "Kachaan always starts with a wide right swing for his power attacks."

Momo turned back towards him in surprise to his advice. "Really?" She saw the notebook he always wrote in, realizing it was his analysis book on people and their powers. She began wondering if he wrote about her in their, but she shook the thought away and focused. "If you have an idea, I'll take it."

* * *

"Take this!"

Both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu continued trading blows with each other, neither even attempting to block. Their match had gone on for ten minutes at this point, both of their hardened states pushed to their limits. And then in simultaneous hits, both teens went down at the same time, pain and exhaustion pushing them over the edge. The crowd was silent as Midnight ran over to check on their conditions, a smirk coming across her face when she realized both had been knocked out at the exact same time. She raised her hand up to announce the crowd.

"Both combatants are down, its a draw! After they wake, they will settle this in a show of strength in arm wrestling!"

Most of class A was silent to the outcome, mostly out of shock to such a grueling match and how it somehow ended in a tie for both. Tsu croaked as she watched the two unconcious teens carried out of the ring. "Ribbit… he lasted as long as Kirishima. He's pretty strong."

"yeah, didn't expect that. I Figured Kirishima would have been stronger." Kaminari rubbed his head in surprise.

Shoji however crossed his arms as he looked towards the passed out Tetsutetsu, "You have to remember just because we class A, doesn't mean we are the strongest here. He was quite the powerhouse himself."

Tokoyami glanced up towards the class B stands, remembering he had to go against Kendo in the next round. "Indeed. They are proving to be quite formidable."

"Yeah, you better kick her butt for me, bird brain." Mina teased and bumped his shoulder, making him sigh out.

Uraraka watched as the two combatants were carried out of the arena and the teachers readied the stage for the final match of the first rounds. "Time for Bakugo and Yaoyorozu…" She said to herself, for some reason getting a tight feeling in her stomach once again. Why was this happening to her? She couldn't explain why it was all of a sudden. When she thought of her name, she couldn't help but imagine Midoriya again. Midoriya… who happen to disappear when she got back to here, and when Yaoyorozu was about to fight.

"I-I mean it's no big deal, it could be he just went to the bathroom. A-and why would it matter if he did talk to her… we are all just friends." She told herself, looking back and feeling her stomach flutter suddenly when she caught sight of him again coming down the steps. "Deku!"

She then felt that similar tightness in her chest when she saw him sit next to Katara up above. She knew Yaoyorozu and Katara were close, which is no surprise she went to see her, and Midoriya with her confirmed her theory. "It's just him being nice… he would do that for anyone…" She tried telling herself… although her eye twitch said something else. She would simply talk to Midoriya after the matches and see how he was doing.

"ALRIGHTY Y'ALL! HERE WE ARE, THE FINAL MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND! WE GOT AN INTERESTING ONE TO END IT ON! FIRST, HE WAS KIND OF FAMOUS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT NOW HE IS HERE WITH THE BIG BOYS! FROM THE HERO COURSE, KATSUKI BAKUGO! VERSUS… THE ULTIMATE CREATIONIST! SHE'S HERE THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS. FROM THE HERO COURSE, MOMO YAOYOROZU!"

Bakugo cracked his knuckles glaring across the stage to his target, baring his teeth when he heard them cheer for her. "Now I'll show them who they should be watching." he hissed to himself.

Momo squeezed her arm in nervousness, but she took a deep breath to try and relax herself. She knew that if she hesitated too much, he would surely get the jump on her. She had to be quick thinking and react, it was the only way she was going to beat him. "Keep it simple. Fast creations." Midoriya's words replayed in her head as she-

"START!"

Momo's eyes shot open as Bakugo launched himself across the stage much faster than she had expected, but she still acted and created a shield on her arm just as his right hand came forward. "Just like he said…" She whispered as his arm swung around and connected with the steel. A loud crack rang through the air as she blocked the attack, caught off guard by how much power was behind the blast. She kept her footing however and glared forward. "Now if can-

"Die!"

She yelped out as another blast rocked her shield, Bakugo not letting up as she had to keep both hands on the shield just to steady it. She then felt another, and another blast strike the guard, each hit pushing her back. Her eyes went behind and saw the out of bounds was getting closer, her heart racing as she couldn't do anything but block. _'I have to do something!'_ she screamed internally. She needed just a few moments to make something for offense, and she wasn't going to get it here. After another powerful strike, she looked through the smoke as his right hand wound back for another blast. She quickly ducked and rolled forward just as his hand came up for a strike, landing behind him and safe for a second.

"Now I can hit him from here!" she flipped around and prepared to conjure a steel rod to shove him out, but screamed as she was caught in a blast he shot out behind himself. She bounced across the ground from the explosion, causing Katara and Midoriya to sit up in worry.

"He's too fast. She can't move quick enough." Katara whispered as she watched Momo crawl back up. Midoriya however shook his head.

"No… she's too nervous." Midoriya clenched his fists as he saw the look on her face. One that he knew from experience. "It's just like I felt all those years before here."

Katara looked over to him at what he said, feeling her blood begin to heat up as she glared back to Bakugo on the stage.

Momo huffed out trying to steady her breathing, spinning on her feet back around feet only to be bull rushed by Bakugo once again. She threw up her shield to block part of his attack just in time as some of the flares got by and scorched her shirt. She whined from the slight burning on her shoulders, but had no time to think as another blast came and knocked the shield out of her arms.

"OUCH, BAKUGO LANDS ANOTHER POWERFUL BLAST ON HER! WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO!?" Mic shouted out as the crowd began to worry about the outcome of this battle.

"You think I'm gonna give you a chance to make some stupid shit!?" Bakugo roared out and charged once again. Momo panicked and formed another shield to stop him, only to be launched several feet onto her back. She only had a moment before Bakugo stood above her and slammed his fist into the shield once more, the bright flash from his quirk erupting outward and billowing up. Momo yelped in pain as her back was pummeled into the ground beneath her, unable to move as she kept her arms up to block the attacks.

Bakugo hissed out as his hands sparked out once more. "I know all about how you can make anything with your power. How about try doing that now!?" He brought his fist down over and over, the barrage of blasts engulfing the stage as the terrified girl could do nothing but block, her small strategy from earlier thrown out the window. Momo winced in both pain and fear as she clenched her eyes shut, not able to move from her spot as he refused to let up his attacks. Soon the other members of the class began feeling a sick feeling in their stomach to the sight.

"I don't think I can watch more of this…" Jiro covered her mouth in disgust to the horrid actions of Bakugo.

"Dude… this is rough." Sero winced out as the girl below yelped out in fear.

While Katara herself despised the sight and the fact her friend was being hurt, there was a strange feeling she got from watching the match. On a technical level, Bakugo was in fact being very smart, not giving her a chance to focus and use her quirk. In a battle this was actually very wise, but this… this was different. The look she saw in his eyes was of hatred, and frustration. Something he was focusing directly toward Yaoyorozu. She then felt a shaking to her side and felt her neck sweat at look on Midoriya's face. His brow was hardened and his gaze filled with anger, his fist clenching so tight his knuckles turned white. She had never seen him so angry before.

Momo herself couldn't even think straight as she laid helpless on the ground, her arms growing numb from holding back the blasts. Then suddenly the blasts from above stopped, Bakugo dropping down and swiping his arm forward sending a lateral blast and sent her bouncing across the stage. She coughed out due to the smoke and the pain in her chest, looking up in fright to the figure slowly coming her way.

"What is this? Is this all you got?" Bakugo growled as he walked through the smoke. "Is this what the so called "top score" in the class assessment has to offer? Why don't you show me why the hell you are the so called top scorer!"

Momo's heart clenched at his words, the breath in her throat caught as she felt a wave of fear came over her. She felt her legs shake as she tried to get up, but her body seemed to only want to lay back down. She was now experiencing what she was worried about from before, that the scores they earned on day one didn't represent the actual strength rankings in the class. But then she remembered Midoriya… and he proved even the lowest score in the class can do amazing things. If he could, then she for sure was going to.

"No…" She glared and stood back up. "I'm not done yet!" She summoned another shield and from her left formed a steel pole into her hand. Bakugo sneered and held his right hand towards her and gripped his forearm with his left. Momo saw this and chose to bring the fight to him this time, charging forward and throwing her weapon towards him. He easily dodged it, but she still ran toward him and conjured another one to swing forward. "I'm not done!"

And then his hand erupted.

Katara and the others gasped in shock as an enormous blast shot out from Bakugo engulfing the area in front of him and launching Yaoyorozu backwards. She screamed out as she was engulfed by the blast and launched up and over the stage. The tumbled through the air before she bounced across the ground and skidded to a stop. She looked up in utter disbelief to the power he unleashed, not even realizing where she was until her hands felt the grass beneath her. Her heart stopped as she looked back down and saw she was not only out of the ring, but she was off the stage itself.

"Yaoyorozu is out. Bakugo wins!" Midnight announced to the silent crowd, the eerie silence hanging over the arena. More people were concerned for the girls well being after taking a powerful attack like that. The class A students were at a loss of words, not sure what to say to such a one sided beat down. They looked down in worry and pity to their friend, who simply stared down to the ground from her knees.

"I… couldn't do anything." Momo's hands gripped at the grass below, tearing up the strips of green out of frustration.

Bakugo exhaled from his spot, letting his arms settle from the massive explosion he just used. He knew it was not necessary to use his trump card, but he wanted to prove the difference between the two of them to the entire country. He looked down to the silent girl below and scoffed. "So, is this what the school considers elite, something they seem to always brag about? Someone pathetic like you made it in through recommendations?"

Momo's blood ran cold at the words he just said, her her heart racing as he spoke to her. Her eyes slowly drifted up to see him glaring down at her, grunting before he turned and walked off stage.

"After all that crap you spew about others and their faults, you can't even do shit yourself. You can't do anything with that stupid quirk of yours."

Those last words caused Momo's heart to drop in her chest, her mouth trembling as she was left alone on the field, the wind the only thing she could hear as her mind felt lost. After a minute sitting in defeat, she was somehow able to move up from the ground. She walked silently through the hall out of the arena, her eyes hung low towards the ground. She didn't even care about the burns on her shirt or the scrapes across her body. Her mind was too distraught over what had happened out there on stage. She was an embarrassment as a hero and someone who was supposed to be strong. This was the chance for her to finally show that, but instead the complete opposite happened.

She felt completely helpless. No, she was completely useless. A failure. Just as Bakugo said, the top score in the class and yet she was unable to do anything. But the last words he said after she lost hurt more than the match itself. His last sentence repeating inside of her head over and over again.

"You can't do anything with that stupid quirk…" She whispered to herself, her hand clenching over her mouth to hold back her sobs. She leaned her shoulder against the wall as she felt her eyes water, sliding down to her knees as she felt her legs weaken. Her eyes clenched shut to try and slow her tears, but it only caused her mind to project the similar feeling she had all those years ago, trapped alone in that hallway in school as that horrid face and golden eyes glared down at her.

" _You can't do anything else with that stupid quirk of yours."_ the memory in her head replayed those words used against her way back then as her tormentors hand hardened before swinging towards her.

Yaoyorozu whined out as she fought to rid the memory from her, her sobs echoing in the hall as she sat against the wall and buried her head into her knees. After years had passed from those days, she had hoped she was beyond her timid and defenseless state, but now she felt like nothing had changed. She was still helpless.

"Yaoyorozu…"

The sound of her name snapped her head up in shock, looking over to see both Midoriya and Katara standing there in silence. The crying girl wanted to wipe her face, but she instead turned away from them and hugged her legs tighter. "P-please, just go away. I- I don't want to talk right now."

"Look, I'm really sorry how it turned out…" Katara tried reassuring her as she approached. "You had a tough opponent, but you can't let that get to you and-

"Katara, please…" Yaoyorozu huffed out between sobs, "I just don't want to talk."

Katara held her tongue when she saw the look on Momo's face, almost feeling the pain she was experiencing now. She wanted to try and make her feel better, but she was afraid if she pushed too hard it could make her feel worse than she already was. To her surprise however, Midoriya walked forward and took a seat against the wall a few feet next to the sobbing girl. Momo looked back towards him and forwned. "I said I don't want to talk now, okay?" She grunted, hoping he would just go away. She didn't want them to see her like this.

Midoriya however stared forward to the other wall, his own heart racing for several reasons. "I… I know how you feel right now, Yaoyorozu." he shakingly said, making her roll her eyes.

"No you don't. You won your match earlier. You got hurt, but you were able to do what you wanted. You weren't helpless like I was. Everything you told me earlier was pointless. Because I couldn't even do anything." she whimpered out, laying her shaking chin onto her knees. "Nothing has changed."

"That's not true…" Katara said as she came and knelt in front of the two of them. "You are amazing and strong. You are-

"I'm helpless and useless! Just as I've always been!" Yaoyorozu suddenly screamed out shocking both of them. She didn't even try to conceal the tears as they flowed free now, her face laced with pain and emotions as she glared to the two of them.

"Ever since I was little, people took advantage of me! 'Such a cool quirk you have' they would say, asking me to make things they wanted or money they needed. When I would say no, they would hurt me, and I did nothing about it! I was too scared to tell anyone, and I was too weak to defend myself. I just sat there, just like I did now! I am at a hero school now, and nothing has changed! You have no idea what it's like to feel helpless like I did!"

Her words cut through both Midoriya and Katara like a knife, both of them not knowing this about their friend. They sat in shock as Momo buried her face and cried again, the painful memories coming back up. What the creationist didn't know was that both of them could relate to her more than she could ever imagine. Katara reached forward and gripped the sobbing girls knee, feeling her shake to the touch.

"I know exactly what it feels like, more than you could ever imagine…" Katara whispered out, catching Yaoyorozu's attention. The crying girl looked up through her watery eyes as Katara touched the pendant on her neck. "I was too helpless when I was young, and something terrible happened. All because I was not able to do anything, somebody close to me was taken away."

Midoriya looked over to the waterbender in shock, seeing the pained look on her face and seeing she was not lying. He didn't know what she was referring to, but he could tell it was something personal to her. He looked back to Yaoyorozu who stared at the necklace in shock as well, her mouth shaking to hearing that.

"I… I'm sorry." Momo wiped the tears away as she sniffled. "I didn't know."

"I do too… know how it feels to feel helpless. I was more than helpless…" Midoriya said, causing both of them to look his way. "M-my quirk manifested late, so all through middle school, I thought I was quirkless. Every day I was tormented, made fun of for being useless. I had no way of defending myself, so I had to deal with it, day in and out. No one wanted to be friends with a quirkless loser like me. Not even Kachaan, who I was close with when we were little, wanted to hang around a weakling like me. I had no one."

Momo swallowed as she looked back and forth to the two in front of her. The look in their eyes, the tone in their voice, their past they were telling her; they did know the feelings she had inside, the emotions she had bottled up and hidden. But they weren't like that anymore. They were strong and determined, something she tried to do but failed at.

"But you are truly amazing, Yaoyorozu." Midoriya smiled towards her, "You have such a great quirk, and are the smartest one in the class. You are so talented that you made it in by recommendations and-

"No… I didn't."

Mdoriya and Katara tilted their heads in confusion when yaoyorozu suddenly cut him off there. "What do you mean? You made it through recommendations, that means someone saw true potential in you-

"I wasn't recommended!" Momo yelled out, the crack in her voice shocking both of them.

Before either of them could ask what she meant, Momo shot over and latched onto Midoriya's arm. His face burned red from the sudden touch, but the sounds of her sobs snapped him out of his shock. Her face was buried into his shoulder, her tears pouring down her face as she couldn't control herself anymore. She tightened her grip on his forearm and held it tight to her chest, seeking his warmth for any form of comfort. Midoriya has breathing hard, but he sat still and allowed her to cry.

Katara sat silent and in just as much confusion to her words as Midoriya, but they didn't have the heart to ask what she meant to what she said. She reached forward and gripped her friends trembling leg, giving her whatever comfort she could offer.

**Notes: So the first round of the tournament is complete. Some dark secrets to Yaoyorozu's past being revealed, and sorry if i made you sad.**

**Round two is next. Till next time!**


End file.
